Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Somalia: Children

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the fundamental rights of (a) women and girls and (b) children following changes to the Somali constitution lowering the age of maturity; and whether he has made representations to the Somali government on that issue.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Proposed changes in the Somali constitution to lower the age of maturity have been delayed. This followed extensive engagement by the UK and others in the international community. The UK is closely following the on-going constitutional review process in Somalia and we have encouraged the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) to ensure the process has broad based support amongst the Somali people, civil society, and marginalised groups. In addition, we continue to regularly raise human rights concerns with our Somali partners.

Evan Gershkovich

Jim Shannon: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what discussions he has had with international partners on the (a) release of Evan Gershkovich and (b) use of imprisonment as a bargaining tactic.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Evan Gershkovich's detention illustrates Russia's disregard for media freedom. Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have called for his immediate release. As a US national, the US Government is providing Mr Gershkovich with consular support. The UK remains in close contact with the US and has raised his case at the OSCE on several occasions, most recently on 21 March. The UK condemns the use of detention for diplomatic leverage and, working with like-minded partners, we remain determined to deter and combat this practice.

Asylum

Neil Coyle: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department (a) logs and (b) registers potential concerns raised by (i) other governments and (ii) international bodies on UK responsibilities toward (A) refugees and (B) asylum seekers.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We engage regularly with other governments and international organisations on matters relating to refugees and asylum seekers. The FCDO ensures that any potential concerns are actioned via effective and well-established channels.

World Bank: Climate Change

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with the World Bank Group on its commitment to fully align its non-sovereign operations since 1 January 2024.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: At the recent World Bank Spring Meetings on 17-19 April, the Deputy Foreign Secretary discussed the World Bank commitment to scale up financing for climate change with Bank management. For its non-sovereign operations, the World Bank is on track to achieve its commitment to ensure all new financial flows are aligned with the Paris Agreement by July 2025. At the end of 2023, this figure stood at 95 per cent, well ahead of the 85 per cent target.

Israel: Palestinians

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with his Israeli counterpart on deaths of Palestinians in Israeli custody since October 2023.

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with his Israeli counterpart on reports of torture of Palestinians in Israeli custody.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are aware of reports of ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees in military detention. The UK Government is clear that administrative detention should only be used when it is justified in accordance with international law. Those under detention should either be charged or released.

EU Countries: Immigration Controls

Mr David Jones: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department has held recent discussions with the European Commission on a derogation for the UK from the EU Entry/Exit System.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government engages with the European Commission on a range of border issues, including the EU Entry/Exit System. We continue to engage on manging its impacts, including plans for public communications.

Lebanon: Church Schools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he had discussions with his Lebanese counterpart on the efforts of Christian schools in that country to counter Islamic extremism.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to defending, promoting and strengthening Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and partnering with Lebanon in the shared fight against terrorism. Since 2016, the UK has provided over £6 million in funding to the Tripoli and Beirut-based MARCH, which promotes social cohesion and combats violent extremism, supporting vulnerable youth to become positive actors in their communities. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, and the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP, continue to maintain close relationships with religious leaders across Lebanon.

Lebanon: Christianity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had recent discussions with his Lebanese counterpart on the situation of Christians in that country.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to defending, promoting and strengthening Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. Lebanon is one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world. Maintaining and strengthening close relationships with religious leaders across Lebanon is a priority for the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, and the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP, supported by the British Embassy in Beirut. The UK also maintains close relations with civil society organisations in Lebanon that champion FoRB.

Lebanon: Schools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department have made an assessment on the current levels of foreign aid funding for schools in Lebanon.

David Rutley: The UK and likeminded donors continue to work closely with the Government of Lebanon to help address pressures facing its education sector - including as a result of Lebanon's economic crisis. In February, the Foreign Secretary announced a £2.6 million contribution to support the education of vulnerable out-of-school children in Lebanon. The UK is also providing £7.35 million to the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund, which supports UN agencies and NGOs to provide education, as well as other critical services such as food, water and shelter to vulnerable communities across Lebanon.

UNRWA: Finance

Layla Moran: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, with reference to the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality, published on 22 April 2024, if he will resume funding to UNRWA.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the events that took place on 7 October in Israel are appalling, which is why we took decisive action to pause future funding to the organisation.The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will set out its position on future funding to UNRWA following careful consideration of Catherine Colonna's final report, UNRWA's response and the ongoing UN Office for Internal Oversight Services investigation into these allegations.We remain absolutely committed to getting humanitarian aid to people in Gaza who desperately need it. We more than trebled our support for the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the last financial year to over £100 million.

Georgia: Civil Liberties

Jim Shannon: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent clashes between protestors and police in Georgia; and what discussions he has had with international partners on the protection of civil liberties in that country.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The UK is committed to supporting a vibrant civil society in Georgia, which is an essential attribute of a healthy democracy. We are aware of the recent demonstrations in Georgia against the proposed law on transparency of foreign influence and are monitoring developments. We are working closely with international partners to raise our concerns regarding the re-introduction of this law, and the Minister for Europe highlighted our concerns to the Georgian Ambassador when they met on 18 April.

Srebrenica: Genocide

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he plans to support the draft UN resolution tabled by Rwanda, Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina on declaring 11 July as an international day of reflection and remembrance of the Srebrenica genocide.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The UK is proud to support the draft resolution. The atrocities that took place at Srebrenica were a genocide, as confirmed by the International Courts. We must never forget the victims of the Srebrenica genocide.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Vicky Ford: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps the Government plans to take through its role as penholder for Sudan at the UN Security Council to encourage international partners to support an immediate ceasefire in Sudan; and what assessment he has made of the impact of continued conflict on (a) the humanitarian situation in Sudan and (b) regional stability.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK uses its position as penholder at the UN Security Council on Sudan to increase pressure on the warring parties. On 8 March, the UNSC adopted UK-drafted Resolution 2724 calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and unhindered humanitarian access. On 27 February, we called for the Council to convene for a closed consultation responding to SAF withdrawing permission for the movement of aid into Sudan from the Adre border crossing. On 20 March, we also highlighted the OCHA White Note's clear warning that obstruction of humanitarian access is resulting in people in Sudan starving. On 19 April, the UK also called for an open briefing on the situation to mark the one-year point in the conflict at the UNSC.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Marketing

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of his Department's use of (a) marketing businesses and (b) communications agencies in each year since 2010.

Sir Mark Spencer: The information requested is not available as it is not possible to split the costs of the department’s use of marketing businesses and communications agencies from the total cost of spend on campaigns. Such information as is available is in the attached table. These figures are the total cost of each campaign for the financial years 2015/16 to 2023/24. This includes any spend with marketing businesses and communications agencies, as well as media and advertising costs, materials and marketing collateral, and events. Information prior to 2015/16 is not available. These figures do not include departmental resource or spend as part of the GREAT Food & Drink campaign which is jointly funded with Cabinet Office.PQ 23504 attachment (xlsx, 10.5KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Mobile Phones

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of mobile phone contracts for (a) Ministers and (b) staff in his Department since 2010.

Sir Mark Spencer: The attached table contains mobile phone contract costs for the last three financial years for staff in core Defra. Information prior to 2021-2022 is not held. Ministers’ costs are also included in the core Defra all users totals.PQ 23503 attachment (pdf, 42.6KB)

Plants: Import Controls

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of continuing Place of Destination checks for plants at Border Control Posts until January 2025.

Sir Mark Spencer: The Place of Destination scheme will not be carried forward beyond 30 April 2024. It was only ever intended to be a temporary solution, and moving controls to BCPs and Control Points is vital to achieving the biosecurity aims of the BTOM, by increasing the percentage of consignments we are able to inspect.

River Wye: Environment Protection

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is the the salary of the River Champion for the Wye.

Sir Mark Spencer: The River Wye Champion role will not be remunerated in line with the expectation that Direct Ministerial Appointments are typically unpaid. However, appointees are entitled to claim reasonable expenses in accordance with the Civil Service expenses policy. This means that while the position itself does not offer financial compensation, reimbursement for expenses incurred during the course of duty may be claimed in accordance with the Civil Service expenses policy.

Animal Products and Food: Import Controls

Steven Bonnar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of potential delays to new border checks on medium risk imports of food and animal products from the European Union on UK businesses.

Sir Mark Spencer: The introduction of new border controls on 30 April is not being delayed. Checks on medium and high-risk goods posing the greatest biosecurity risk are being prioritised as we build up to full check rates and high levels of compliance. Taking a pragmatic approach to introducing our new border checks minimises disruption, protects our biosecurity and benefits everyone – especially traders.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Equipment

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of accidental damage to equipment made by his Department in each year since 2010.

Sir Mark Spencer: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Animal Products and Food: Import Controls

Steven Bonnar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce new border checks on imports of food and animal products from the European Union on the 30 April 2024.

Steven Bonnar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce border checks on medium-risk imports of (a) food and (b) animal products from the EU.

Sir Mark Spencer: From 30 April the Government is introducing documentary and risk-based identity and physical checks on medium risk animal products, plants, plant products and high-risk food and feed of non-animal origin imported from the EU. Checks on high-risk products, currently conducted at destination, are moving from destination to Border Control Posts and Control Points.

Inland Border Facilities: Ashford

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 21012 on Import Controls: Fees and Charges, by what date he expects a decision on designating Sevington as a Border Control Post.

Sir Mark Spencer: The border control post at Sevington has now received its designation and is ready to begin operation on 30 April.

Import Controls: Fees and Charges

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether all consignments travelling from the EU to the UK on 1 May 2024 that are subject to the Border Target Operating Model, other than those coming through a privately-run Border Control Post, will be required to pay the Common User Charge.

Sir Mark Spencer: The common user charge will apply to all eligible sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) imports at a public BCP, whether or not they are selected for a BCP inspection.

Large Goods Vehicles: Import Controls

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to help tackle hauliers moving consignments subject to the Border Target Operating Model who do not (a) pay the Common User Charge, (b) present for physical inspections at a Border Control Post when required and (c) provide the relevant health declarations.

Sir Mark Spencer: On the Common User Charge, we will put in place measures to deter late payment and payment avoidance, including charges for late payment. We’ll publish further information on compliance measures before the first invoices are issued.” Where the BCP has concerns, for example due to non-attendance, there are robust provisions in place to pursue the person responsible for the load. If it is not possible for the goods to proceed to the BCP, then the goods will be referred for inland controls by the local authority, enforceable through the data collected through customs declarations and pre-notification. Vehicles suspected to be carrying illegal imports (e.g. those for which customs declarations and pre-notification have not been made or suspected to have been made in bad faith) will continue to be stopped and dealt with by Border Force at the point of entry to the UK.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Maladministration

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of administrative errors made by his Department in each year since 2010.

Sir Mark Spencer: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs. Defra reports losses from error to the Public Sector Fraud Authority. We are unable to provide a breakdown of losses from administrative errors only – errors we report consist of aggregated losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official government errors. Data on fraud (including error) has only been published since 2017 and may be found in the Cross Government fraud landscape reports here: Cross-government fraud landscape annual report 2017, Cross-government fraud landscape annual report 2018 , Cross-government fraud landscape annual report 2019, Executive-Summary-Fraud-Landscape-Bulletin 2019-20, Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Report 2021-2022.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Departmental Responsibilities

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of projects that have been written off within his Department in each year since 2010.

Sir Mark Spencer: Prior to preparing to leave the EU Defra had no major projects, with outcome delivery led through its Arm’s Length bodies and executive agencies. Defra now manages a portfolio of priority projects spanning policy to delivery which are critical to delivering our outcomes to ‘improve the environment, deliver net zero, reduce the likelihood and impact of flooding, increase the sustainability, productivity and resilience of the agriculture, fishing, food and drink sectors, enhance biosecurity at the border and raise animal welfare standards’. All losses are reported in our Annual Reports and Accounts but we are unable to provide a breakdown of losses specifically relating to ‘writing off projects’ since our reporting data for losses is not disaggregated in this manner.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Procurement

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the overspend on procurement within his Department in each year since 2010.

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse has been of contracts cancelled by his Department since 2010.

Sir Mark Spencer: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Agriculture: Solar Power

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce a national monitoring system to track agricultural land being developed for ground mounted solar.

Rebecca Pow: As the Prime Minister said at PMQs last week, we must protect our nation’s food security and therefore our most valuable agricultural land. As per planning policy, local planning authorities should consider all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, when making plans or taking decisions on new development proposals. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality. Planning Practice Guidance also sets out a preference for the use of lower quality agricultural land. I agree that monitoring of the impacts of solar on agricultural land is important and am in discussions with my counterparts in DLUHC and DESNZ.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Maladministration

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to reduce the costs of error in the last three financial years.

Sir Mark Spencer: Figures used in the cross-Government Fraud Landscape Report show the level of detected error across the group including arm’s length bodies. The figures for 2021-22 and 2022-23 may be found in the following reports: Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22 and Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23. Steps we have taken are detailed in the annual report and accounts. These include creation of a dedicated grants hub with counter fraud expertise, fraud risk assessments, prepayment checks allowing correction of errors prior to payment, audits of both the control environment and delivery bodies’ counter fraud capability, external assurance, as well as governance forums which routinely consider the risk of fraud and error at both design and delivery stages. The Government reports a combined fraud and error rate as it is difficult to disaggregate between the two, is cost intensive and may not be the most effective use of limited department resources. The choice is therefore left to the discretion of individual departments. When found, error would be defined as losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official government errors.

Tree Planting: North of England

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will work with metro mayors on delivering the White Rose forest objectives.

Rebecca Pow: The White Rose Forest is the community forest for North and West Yorkshire, working in partnership with local authorities, landowners, businesses and communities to increase woodland across the region and improve our natural environment. To deliver the objectives of our Community Forests and Woodland Creation Partnerships Defra works with a wide range of stakeholders in local government, the NGO sector and beyond.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Fraud

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to reduce the costs of fraud in his Department in the last three financial years.

Sir Mark Spencer: The Government is determined to uncover fraud in the public sector and is proud of its record. As part of this, the Government established the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In 22/23 the PSFA set a target of delivering £180m of savings to the taxpayer. In fact, the PSFA far surpassed this within the first 12 months by preventing and recovering £311 million. As it enters its second year, the PSFA has a target of achieving £185 million of savings for the taxpayer. The Government has also announced an additional £34 million to deploy cutting edge tools and Artificial Intelligence tools to help combat fraud across the public sector, saving £100 million for the public purse. This is in addition to existing partnerships between PSFA and the tech sector. Defra's headline response to countering fraud is set out in the Governance Statement of the Annual Report and Accounts. The Annual Report and Accounts for Defra for the past three years may be accessed here: Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21 (publishing.service.gov.uk) Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22 (publishing.service.gov.uk) Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Avian Influenza: Disease Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the statement by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention entitled Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Infection Reported in a Person in the US, published on 1 April 2024, what assessment he has made of the level of risk posed by H5N1; and whether he has had discussions with the (a) Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and (b) Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on the potential implications for the UK Biological Security Strategy of that statement.

Sir Mark Spencer: We are in close contact with counterparts in the United States on the incidents of influenza of avian origin in cattle in the USA. We know that the strain of virus involved has not been detected in the UK. We are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, UK Health Security Agency, Food Standards Agency and Cabinet Office officials and with international partners on risk assessments to consider the routes of incursion, animal to animal spread and animal to human spill-over and to review our well-tested surveillance mechanisms and preparedness activities in light of this emerging situation.

Department of Health and Social Care

Heart Diseases: Women

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including material on (a) diagnosing and (b) detecting cardiovascular diseases in women's health hubs.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Sir David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data sets will flow into the Federated Data Platform; and what her planned timetable is for each of those data sets to be (a) visible and (b) in use on the Federated Data Platform by participating hospital trusts.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ambulance Services: Databases

Sir David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timescale is for ambulance service data to be active on the Federated Data Platform for use by participating hospital trusts.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Warrington South

Andy Carter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many additional NHS dental appointments have been made available for patients as a result of the Dental Recovery Plan in Warrington South constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Parkinson's Disease: Medical Records

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a Parkinson's Passport that would give automatic access to clearly defined benefits.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department is currently exploring the feasibility of this, and the other asks within the charter.The Department for Work and Pensions offers Personal Independence Payments (PIP) to individuals with health conditions or disabilities. However, there is currently no automatic entitlement to PIP in relation to specific health conditions, except in cases of people nearing the end of life, specifically the last year of life. The Government understands that there are people with severe and lifelong health conditions which will not improve. Guidance ensures that those on the highest level of support, whose needs will not improve, receive an ongoing award with a light-touch review at the 10-year point.The primary focus of the Department for Transport’s Blue Badge scheme is to help those with the greatest mobility needs. Eligibility is not based on the type of disability. There are several automatic qualifying criteria for a Blue Badge, such as being in receipt of PIP because you cannot walk more than 50 metres. People who do not automatically qualify for a Blue Badge may still be eligible for a badge through further assessment.With regards to free prescriptions, approximately 89% of prescription items are currently dispensed free of charge, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place. People with Parkinson’s disease who are 60 years old or over are entitled to free prescriptions. For those that have to pay for prescriptions, the cost can be capped by purchasing a pre-payment certificate, which can be paid for in instalments. Additionally, the NHS Low Income Scheme can provide help with health costs on an income-related basis.

NHS: Software

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have registered for the NHS App since its creation.

Andrew Stephenson: As of March 2024, there were 34.3 million sign-ups for the NHS App.

NHS: Parking

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing free parking passes to NHS community staff who are required to use their own vehicles for home visits.

Andrew Stephenson: We have delivered on our commitment to provide free hospital car parking for in-need groups. All hospitals that charge for car parking have implemented this policy. Councils are responsible for setting their own local policy, and those interested in local parking concessions can check their local councils’ website for further details of any local schemes.

Parkinson's Disease: Research

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the amount of funding allocated to the research of Parkinson's disease over the next five years.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Parkinson’s disease. Future funding allocated to research into Parkinson’s disease, and into other aspects of human health, will depend on the volume and quality of proposals received from the research community, with the level of spending outlined in the end of year accounting.The Department, through the NIHR, invested £12.2 million into Parkinson’s research over five financial years, ending in 2022/23. The NIHR has supported a broad portfolio of Parkinson’s research and, in the last year alone, supported the conduct of 114 studies relating to Parkinson’s disease through the NIHR Clinical Research Network. For example, the NIHR is investing £3 million in the PD MED clinical trial, which investigates the efficacy of different drugs in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics.

Cerebral Palsy: Health Services and Social Services

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase specialist knowledge of cerebral palsy across the (a) health and (b) social care workforce.

Andrew Stephenson: The standards of training for health care professionals are the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory bodies, including the General Medical Council (GMC), the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and the Health and Care Professions Council. These have the general function of promoting high standards of education, and co-ordinating all stages of education, to ensure that health and care students and newly qualified health care professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for professional practice, including knowledge of cerebral palsy.The training curricula for postgraduate specialty training is set by the relevant royal college, and has to meet the standards set by the GMC. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they do emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has also published a range of guidance on care and support for children and young people, and adults with cerebral palsy, to support health care professionals and commissioners. The guidance outlines the kind of specialist care that children, young people, and adults with cerebral palsy may need from health and social care professionals. The guidance document for children and young people with cerebral palsy, and the guidance document for adults with cerebral palsy, are available respectively at the following links:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng62https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng119NHS England has also produced an e-learning course on the prevention of cerebral palsy in preterm labour, which is available at the following link:https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/prevention-of-cerebral-palsy-in-preterm-labour/NHS England has established the Getting It Right First Time (GRIFT) national programme, which is designed to improve the treatment and care of patients through an in-depth clinically led review of specialties, to examine how things are currently being done and how they could be improved. The GRIFT National Speciality Report on Neurology makes recommendations on the diagnosis and management of a range of neurological conditions, including cerebral palsy, and will support the National Health Service in delivering care more equitably across the country, and improving services nationally.The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by £2.4 billion, sets out the steps needed to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. The plan will double medical school training places by 2031, and sets out that the NHS will focus on expanding the number of clinicians who train to take up enhanced and advanced roles and work as part of multidisciplinary teams. We expect that this will increase the number of health care professionals in the speciality of neurology, and those that have specialist knowledge of cerebral palsy.

NHS: Expenditure

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 12 October 2021 to Question 51702 on NHS: Expenditure, how much NHS England, clinical commissioning groups and integrated care boards spent in aggregate on (a) mental health services, (b) acute health services, (c) social care services, (d) primary medical services, (e) specialised services, (f) NHS continuing healthcare and (g) all other recorded spending categories in each financial year since 2015-16; and how much those organisations plan to spend in aggregate in each of those areas in the (i) 2023-24 and (ii) 2024-25 financial years.

Andrew Stephenson: The information requested up to 2023/24 is in the attached table due to its size. NHS England continues to work with integrated care boards (ICB) to develop their financial plans for 2024/25. Until that process is complete, we will not have a final agreed set of financial plans for the year ahead.The £38 billion increase in clinical commissioning group and ICB direct commissioning spend between the 2019/20 and 2023/24 budgets reflects the record settlement for health and social care funding confirmed at the 2021 Spending Review.PQ19413 Table (docx, 22.9KB)

Pancreatin

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the availability of Creon 25000 across the UK.

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to (a) mitigate potential future shortages of (i) Creon 25000 and (ii) other essential medicines and (b) ensure that people affected by medicine shortages have access to alternative options.

Andrew Stephenson: We are aware of ongoing intermittent supply issues with Creon 25000 gastro-resistant capsules. These are due to manufacturing and active pharmaceutical ingredient constraints. The supplier has confirmed that stock of Creon 25000 gastro resistant capsules is now available, with further deliveries scheduled in May 2024. The Department has issued guidance to healthcare professionals regarding treatment of patients, while there was disruption to the supply of Creon 25000 gastro-resistant capsules. We continue to explore all management options to manage this issue. We have asked the supplier to continue confirming their future forecasts, and to inform us of any further gaps in supply of Creon 25000 gastro-resistant capsules.Whilst we can’t always prevent supply issues, we have a range of well-established tools and processes to mitigate risks to patients. These include close and regular engagement with the suppliers, use of alternative strengths or forms of a medicine to allow patients to remain on the same product, expediting regulatory procedures, sourcing unlicensed imports from abroad, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list, use of Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs), and issuing NHS communications to provide management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals, so they can advise and support their patients.

Gabapentin

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure that people experiencing acute or chronic side effects from taking gabapentin do not have to wait for a (a) referral and (b) assessment by mental health services.

Maria Caulfield: While we have no specific plans to do so, we are committed to expanding and transforming mental health services in England through the NHS Long Term Plan, so that more people, including those experiencing side effects from taking gabapentin, can get the mental health help and support that they need.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Mrs Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce ambulance response times.

Helen Whately: Our Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services sets out the range of measures being taken to achieve our ambition of reducing average Category 2 ambulance response times to 30 minutes, across 2024/25. Further information on the delivery plan is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/B2034-delivery-plan-for-recovering-urgent-and-emergency-care-services.pdfAmbulance trusts received £200 million of additional funding in 2023/24 to increase deployed hours and reduce response times. We will maintain the improved ambulance service capacity from this additional funding in 2024/25, alongside the additional 5,000 permanent hospital beds delivered last year to improve patient flow through accident and emergency, and reduce ambulance capacity lost due to handover delays.There have been significant improvements in performance across the country, with average Category 2 ambulance response times in 2023/24 over 13 minutes faster compared to the previous year, a reduction of over 27%.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Migrants

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department provides to NHS A&E departments to ensure staff are aware that A&E services are free of charge regardless of immigration status.

Helen Whately: The Department issues guidance to the National Health Service on charging overseas visitors for some NHS services. This guidance is reviewed regularly and makes it clear that some services, including accident and emergency, are free at the point of delivery for everyone. NHS England works with Overseas Visitor Managers in NHS trusts to operationalise this guidance effectively.

Autism: Diagnosis

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much her Department spent on autism assessments in each of the last five years; how much funding her Department has allocated to autism assessments in each of the next three years; and what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of that funding in meeting the target waiting time for such an assessment.

Maria Caulfield: Information on the total spend on autism assessments is not held centrally. NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to integrated care boards (ICBs), which are responsible for commissioning services using these core allocations to meet the needs of their local populations, including autism assessment services. The following table shows the total baseline expenditure in ICBs for learning disability and autism services over the last five years, disaggregated for autism services where possible: Learning disabilityAutism servicesUnseparated learning disability and autism servicesTotal2019/20N/AN/A£1,809,200,000£1,809,200,0002020/21N/AN/A£2,285,600,000£2,285,600,0002021/22£85,800,000£3,700,000£2,268,300,000£2,357,900,0002022/23£625,800,000£27,100,000£1,928,800,000£2,581,700,0002023/24£926,000,000£47,100,000£1,928,800,000£2,904,600,000 In addition, specific funding has been allocated to ICBs in 2023/4 and 2024/25 from the Service Development Funding, to improve autism assessment waiting lists and pathways. The following table shows information on the additional national funding allocated to ICBs by NHS England, over each of the last five years, to improve autism assessment waiting lists and pathways: Service Development Funding via the NHS Long Term Plan Transformation FundingSpending Review 2021 via the COVID-19 Recovery FundTotal funding for autism assessment pathways2019/20N/AN/AN/A2020/21N/AN/AN/A2021/22£2,500,000£14,500,000£17,000,0002022/23£5,000,000N/A£5,000,0002023/24£4,200,000N/A£4,200,0002024/25£4,300,000N/A£4,300,000Notes:the in-year pay uplift for 2023/24 is not reflected in the table;the service development funding allocations shown in the table are in addition to the ICBs core funding allocations.The NHS Operational and Planning Guidance 2024/25 asks local systems to improve autism assessment pathways, through implementation of the NHS England autism assessment national framework. Allocations from 2025/26 onwards are subject to future decisions on spending. Further information on the operational and planning guidance and national framework is available respectively at the following links:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-25-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance-v1.1.pdfhttps://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/autism-diagnosis-and-operational-guidance/A specific assessment of the adequacy of funding in meeting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s waiting time standard for autism assessments has not been made. However, autism waiting times statistics are published on a quarterly basis. The total number of people with an open referral, where the diagnosis not yet completed, for suspected autism has increased by 47%, from 117,032 in December 2022 to 172,022 in December 2023. In December 2023, it was estimated that only 5.9% of patients whose referrals have been open in the system for at least 13 weeks received their first contact appointment within 13 weeks.

Gender Dysphoria: Children

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2024 to Question 20081 on Gender Dysphoria: Children, what information her Department holds on the number of children of each biological sex that were prescribed puberty blockers for treatment of gender dysphoria each year since 2010.

Maria Caulfield: The Department does not hold information on the number of children of each biological sex who were prescribed puberty blockers for treatment of gender dysphoria.

Gender Dysphoria: Hormone Treatments

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials from her Department have met Stonewall to discuss puberty blockers in the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: Ministers have not met Stonewall to discuss puberty blockers. Information on how many times officials have met with Stonewall is not available, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Shingles: Warrington

Andy Carter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase uptake of the shingles vaccine by people aged over 65 in Warrington.

Maria Caulfield: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended that those who are eligible for the shingles vaccine should change, to allow individuals to be protected at an earlier age, particularly those that have a weakened immune system. Based on the evidence, they recognised that there may be more clinical benefit from starting shingles vaccinations at a lower age, with modelling indicating that a greater number of cases of shingles would be prevented with vaccination at 60 years old for immunocompetent individuals, and 50 years old for immunosuppressed individuals. The committee advised that the programme should be implemented in stages, starting with those that are over 50 years old with a weakened immune system and those turning 65 and 70 years old, then eventually moving down to those turning 60 years old. This is a similar pattern to the roll out of the shingles vaccine from 2013. This is why the vaccine offer has been expanded to all those turning 65 and 70 years old and all those over 50 years old with a weakened immune system, from 1 September 2023. The programme began on 1 September 2023 and will run until 31 August 2028, offering the vaccine to people as they turn 65 and 70 years old, until the offer has been made to all those aged 65 to 70 years old. It will then expand to offering the vaccine to all those that are turning 60 and 65 years old, from 1 September 2028.The shingles vaccine is available through general practice (GP) surgeries in primary care, and GPs are required to identify and put in place a call or recall arrangement to offer the shingles vaccination to eligible patients. All eligible patients are contacted by their GP surgery to invite them for vaccination. The GP will then follow up with letters or with calls and text messages, to encourage eligible people that have not come forward to take up the offer. There is a wide range of public facing information to help increase uptake of the shingles vaccine, and to publicise the programme in GP surgeries and online, including display bunting, leaflets, and posters. GPs are also adding messages regarding shingles to their practice websites, prescription counterfoils, and social media banners. Public facing information regarding the shingles vaccination programme includes translations into over 20 different languages including braille, audio, large print, and British Sign Language. Information for healthcare professionals, including GP toolkits for improving uptake of shingles vaccination, has also been produced and published by local immunisation commissioning teams.

Rochdale Infirmary

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will meet the hon. Member for Rochdale to discuss (a) maternity and (b) accident and emergency services at Rochdale Infirmary.

Maria Caulfield: I would be happy to meet with the hon. Member for Rochdale to discuss maternity services at Rochdale Infirmary.

Alcoholic Drinks: Children and Young Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle under-age alcohol use.

Andrea Leadsom: Guidance from England’s Chief Medical Officer for healthcare professionals is clear, an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest and best option. The Department promotes this through online platforms such as the NHS.UK website, and the Talk to FRANK online resource. Local authorities promote these guidelines as part of their public health duties.The Department for Education’s statutory guidance, Relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education, became mandatory in September 2020. Through this, education on drugs, alcohol, and tobacco became compulsory at state-funded primary and secondary schools, teaching children and young people how to manage influences and pressures, and keep themselves healthy and safe.To deter individuals selling alcohol to a person aged under 18 years old, the maximum fine for the offence of persistently selling alcohol to children was increased from £10,000 to £20,000, under s 147A(8) of the 2003 Licensing Act.

Electronic Cigarettes and Smoking

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to ensure that family hubs provide advice on smoking and vaping harm reduction.

Andrea Leadsom: Smoking is the number one entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability, and death in this country. It is responsible for 80,000 yearly deaths in the United Kingdom, and one in four of all UK cancer deaths. It costs our country £17 billion a year, £14 billion of which is through lost productivity alone. It puts a huge pressure on the National Health Service and social care, costing over £3 billion a year.The Government is investing an additional £300 million to improve support for families, though the joint Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Education Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme guide sets out minimum expectations that local authorities receiving programme funding should deliver by March 2025. With regards to smoking support, the programme guide sets out that staff in a family hub are expected to be trained in delivering Very Brief Advice on smoking to parents identified as smokers, and some family hubs may provide smoking cessation support on-site, for example through drop-ins.Staff in family hubs know what stop smoking services (SSS) are provided locally, and connect families to these services. Smokers are three times as likely to succeed with SSS, when compared to an unsupported quit attempt. As announced in Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation, published in October 2023, the Government is investing an additional £70 million per year, for five years, to support local authority led SSS, almost doubling current spend and supporting 360,000 people to set a quit date each year.In addition, we are establishing a financial incentives scheme to help pregnant smokers and their partners to quit smoking, with smoking cessation support. This evidence-based intervention will encourage pregnant women to give up smoking, and remain smokefree throughout pregnancy and beyond, helping to improve the health and wellbeing of both mother and baby.Whilst anyone smoking should focus on giving up cigarettes before giving up vaping, giving up vaping is an important step in overcoming nicotine dependence. We are working with the NHS Better Health website to provide advice for people who want to quit vaping. The National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training has produced guidance for local SSS staff, on how best to support vapers to quit. We are also exploring further ways to support people to quit vaping, as part of the national Swap to Stop programme.

Health Professions: Labour Turnover

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with Integrated Care Boards on recruitment and retention of health workers.

Andrew Stephenson: The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out how we will meet the workforce needs of the future, through increasing training numbers and reforming training, working differently, and taking action to retain more staff.There are a number of key national programmes aimed at supporting regions, integrated care boards (ICBs), and providers with recruitment challenges, and growing the workforce. For example, the Overhauling Recruitment programme aims to overhaul and modernise National Health Service recruitment, encouraging innovation and wider access into NHS careers, supporting the growth of a diverse and skilled workforce to meet future demands on healthcare. NHS England will soon be engaging with ICBs and providers to support and enable this transformational change, as it prepares to publish the overhauling recruitment strategic delivery framework.The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan also sets out how to improve culture and leadership to ensure that up to 130,000 fewer staff leave the NHS over the next 15 years. Key to this is the National Retention Programme. The programme builds on the NHS People Promise, and supports integrated care systems (ICS), which are made up of ICBs and integrated care partnerships, regions, NHS trusts, and organisations, to improve employee experience and retain their people, thereby reducing NHS staff leaver rates. Support for organisations and ICS can be accessed via the Retention Hub, which outlines initiatives mapped against the People Promise, access to tools, guides, and case studies, to enable improvements and contact details for regional colleagues to support the retention agenda in each of the seven regions.

Drugs: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to prevent increased synthetic drug use.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to educate current drug users on the risks of synthetic drugs.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department is actively monitoring, and responding to, the continued threat posed by the growing levels of potent synthetic opioids in the United Kingdom. We are working to increase awareness of the dangers of synthetic opioids. The Government’s drug information and advice service, Talk to FRANK, aims to reduce drug misuse and its harms by increasing awareness among young people and parents. Information on synthetic opioids and the danger of their misuse is available at the following link:https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/synthetic-opioidsEducation on drug use is also a statutory component of relationships and sex education and health education in England. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the Department for Education have commissioned lesson plans and other resources to support teachers in delivering quality drug prevention interventions. The lesson plans target primary and secondary students, teaching them how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe. These resources are being updated, and will have an increased emphasis on the risks of synthetic drugs.

Food: Advertising

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2024 to Question 22526 on Food Advertising, what her planned timetable is for (a) publishing finalised guidance and (b) laying regulations before Parliament.

Andrea Leadsom: On 1 October 2025, the Government will introduce a United Kingdom-wide 9:00pm television watershed for the advertising of less healthy products, and a restriction of paid-for advertising of these products online. The Government has published and consulted on the draft secondary legislation needed to underpin this policy. The Government will publish its response to the consultation on the draft secondary legislation shortly, and set out the next steps in implementing the regulations.

Pharmacy: Electronic Cigarettes and Smoking

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with community pharmacists on supporting people with (a) smoking and (b) vaping (i) addiction and (ii) dependency.

Andrea Leadsom: Quitting smoking is the best thing a smoker can do for their health and smokers are three times as likely to succeed with stop smoking services (SSS) when compared to an unsupported quit attempt. As announced in Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation, published in October 2023, the Government is investing an additional £70 million per year for five years to support local authority-led SSS, around doubling current spend and supporting 360,000 people to set a quit date each year. Local authorities commission a variety of settings, including community pharmacy, to deliver SSS. In 2022/23, 12,165 of the 176,566 quit dates set through SSS were in a pharmacy setting. Since March 2022, hospitals have been referring patients to community pharmacy to continue the stop smoking journey they started in hospital as part of the NHS Smoking Cessation Service in community pharmacies agreed by the Department, NHS England and Community Pharmacy England. Across the country, 4841 community pharmacies have signed up to deliver the service.In addition, we are establishing a financial incentives scheme to help pregnant smokers and their partners to quit smoking, with smoking cessation support. This evidence-based intervention will encourage pregnant women to give up smoking, and remain smokefree throughout pregnancy and beyond, helping to improve the health and wellbeing of both mother and baby.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the administration of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme cost the NHS Business Services Authority in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) administers the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, on behalf of the Department. Administration costs for the scheme were £600,000, £8.8 million, and £16.1 million for April 2021 to March 2022, April 2022 to March 2023, and April 2023 to March 2024, respectively. Payments made by the NHSBSA for the provision of medical records totalled £1,200, £72,000, and £73,100, for the same periods. The figures are provided to the nearest decimal place.

Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many adult mental health patients have been held in inappropriate out of area placements since March 2021.

Maria Caulfield: 12,960 inappropriate out of area placements were started between April 2021 and 31 December 2023, although some patients may have had more than one placement within the reporting period.

Gender Dysphoria: Health Services

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to develop waiting time targets for receiving treatment in the eight new children and young people's gender services regionalcentres.

Maria Caulfield: There are no plans to develop tailored waiting time targets for receiving treatment in children and young people's gender services regional centres. NHS England has made significant progress on its overhaul of children’s gender identity services. NHS England closed the Tavistock Gender Clinic last month and opened two new, regional services operating under a fundamentally differing service model earlier this month. A third clinic is set to open in Bristol this Autumn, and NHS England has committed to a further three services by 2026. These new services will increase service capacity and reduce waiting lists.

Integrated Care Systems: Labour Turnover

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking ensure Integrated Care Schemes are able to support staff retention schemes.

Andrew Stephenson: The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out how to improve culture and leadership, to ensure that up to 130,000 fewer staff leave the National Health Service over the next 15 years. Key to this is the National Retention Programme. The programme builds on the NHS People Promise, and supports integrated care systems (ICSs), regions, NHS trusts, and organisations to improve employee experience to retain their people, and therefore reduce NHS staff leaver rates. The National Retention Programme provides a suite of evidence-based, targeted, organisational-level interventions, to improve staff engagement and experience, in line with the NHS People Promise. The programme builds on the fundamentals that every organisation should be developing to support a good working environment, providing practical advice and support. It targets activities at the key career points at which staff are most likely to leave, to help improve retention. Support for organisations and ICSs can be accessed via the Retention Hub, which outlines initiatives mapped against the NHS People Promise, access to tools, guides, and case studies, to enable improvements and contact details for regional colleagues support the retention agenda in each of the seven regions. Further information on the Retention Hub is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/looking-after-our-people/the-programme-and-resources/

Psychiatric Patients: Discharges

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that mental health discharge processes protect the (a) patient and (b) community.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to require an independent second assessment prior to discharging a person from mental health services.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance she issues to mental health services on their obligations to a people that (a) police and (b) local authorities find too unwell to be in the community.

Maria Caulfield: On 26 January 2024, new statutory guidance was published for those being discharged from mental health inpatient settings. This sets out how health and care systems can work together effectively to support the discharge process from all mental health inpatient settings, and ensure the right support in the community. The guidance also includes best practice on how patients and carers should be involved in discharge planning. There are currently no plans to update this guidance covering the process for discharge.The Mental Health Act Code of Practice provides statutory guidance on the care and treatment of patients detained under the Mental Health Act, including consideration of whether someone is ready to be discharged, and who should be involved in making this decision.As part of its planning guidance, NHS England has asked all local systems to review their community mental health services to ensure that they have clear policies and practice in place for patients with serious mental illness, who require intensive community treatment and follow-up, but where engagement is a challenge. NHS England plans to provide national guidance by Autumn 2024, to support these reviews. NHS England will consider further steps as appropriate, following the completion of the reviews.

Health Services: Rehabilitation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) an ageing population and (b) trends in the level of comorbidities on demand for rehabilitation services.

Helen Whately: Effective capacity and demand planning supports the provision of adequate rehabilitation packages. The 2023-2025 Better Care Fund Policy Framework requires local areas to agree and submit a plan showing:- expected demand for intermediate care services, and other short-term care, to help people to remain independent at home; - services to support this recovery, including rehabilitation and reablement; - expected capacity in the health and wellbeing board area to meet this demand.Appropriate capacity should be commissioned, within available budgets, for people with step-down intermediate care needs. This includes, but is not limited to, older people and those with comorbidities.In addition, the Major Conditions Strategy outlines our approach in tackling six groups of major health conditions, by creating a health and care system that is faster, simpler, and fairer, focusing on prevention, proactive care and more person-centred care.

Carers: Leave

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled People at the Heart of Care, published by her Department in December 2021, CP 560, what steps her Department has taken to raise awareness of Carer's Leave amongst unpaid carers.

Helen Whately: The Government is committed to supporting unpaid carers to balance their caring alongside work, and to do so in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing. As indicated in People at the Heart of Care in 2021, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) are the lead department for carer’s leave. DBT has carried out a range of activities to raise awareness of Carer’s Leave, including producing associated guidance available through GOV.UK, working closely stakeholders such as carer and business representative organisations and promoting Carers Leave through the ‘Help to Grow’ website.  The Department for Health and Social Care continues to seek and use opportunities to raise awareness of support services and relevant legislation, including carer’s leave, amongst unpaid carers. This includes through our ongoing engagement with carer representative organisations, the use of GOV.UK and engagement in events such as during Carers Week, which this year takes place in June 2024.

Pancreatic Cancer: Health Services

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with NHS England on progress on improving outcomes for patients suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Andrew Stephenson: Tackling cancer is a key priority for the Government. Ministers and officials continue to work closely with NHS England to increase positive outcomes for all cancer types, including pancreatic cancer. The National Health Service is delivering a range of interventions expected to increase early diagnosis and improve outcomes for those with pancreatic cancer. This includes: providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at inherited high-risk, to identify lesions before they develop into cancer, and diagnose cancers sooner; creating new pathways to support faster referral routes for people with non-specific symptoms that could be linked to a range of cancer types; and increasing direct access for general practitioners to arrange diagnostic tests. NHS England is also funding a new audit into pancreatic cancer to increase the consistency of access to treatments, and to stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes. The Royal College of Surgeons began work on this audit in October 2022, and the first report is expected in October 2024. In addition to this, the Getting it Right First Time team in NHS England is undertaking a deep dive into pancreatic cancer, which will highlight actions NHS providers need to take to improve services, as well as gathering examples of good practice to share.The NHS is working towards its Long Term Plan ambition of diagnosing 75% of stageable cancers at stage one and two by 2028. Achieving this will mean that an additional 55,000 people each year will survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis. With progress made on reducing waiting times, cancer is being diagnosed at an earlier stage more often, with survival rates improving across almost all types of cancer.

Gabapentin

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on (a) its advice on prescribing and (b) the side effects of gabapentin.

Andrew Stephenson: Gabapentin is authorised for the treatment of some forms of epilepsy, as well as peripheral neuropathic pain. The product information for gabapentin, approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), provides information to support the prescribing of the medication including recommendations for dose, duration of use, as well as gradual reduction when stopping. The product information includes warnings about possible side effects.The MHRA continuously monitors the safety of gabapentin and ensures the product information reflects what is known about the medicine and its side effects.

Evusheld

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care during the debate on Covid-19: Response and Excess Deaths on Thursday 18 April 2024, Official Report, column 537, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) NICE and (b) the MHRA on their progress on reaching a decision on whether to recommend the use of Evusheld 2 to prevent covid-19.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department meets with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) regularly to discuss a range of issues, including access to medicines. The NICE has formally started its appraisal of AZD-3152, also known as sipavibart and referred to as Evusheld 2, ahead of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) decision on whether it should be given a United Kingdom marketing authorisation, and expects to invite stakeholder submissions in April 2024. Timelines for both the NICE’s guidance and licensing depend on data from the SUPERNOVA trial being available. AstraZeneca intends to submit clinical data to the NICE and the MHRA at the same time, with the aim that both organisations are able to reach decisions as close together as possible. If AZD-3152 is recommended as clinically and cost effective by the NICE, the National Health Service in England will be under a statutory requirement to fund AZD-3152 for eligible patients, in line with the NICE’s recommendations.

Heart Diseases: Surgery

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase the availability of heart valve surgery for (a) women and (b) ethnic minorities.

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase awareness of the symptoms of heart valve disease in women.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England continues to work with its partners in raising awareness of aortic stenosis, with a particular focus on women. NHS England is also working to increase access to cardiac surgery. The breathlessness pathway, launched in April 2023, encourages general practitioners to examine all patients for the signs of valvular heart disease. Heart valve disease is a focus for cardiac networks, with pathways in in place to improve early detection of valve disease in the community.In November 2023, a dedicated Heart Valve Disease (HVD) Expert Advisory Group was convened to provide NHS England’s Cardiac Transformation Programme with leadership, advice, quality assurance, expert review, and endorsement of the projects and deliverables that comprise the HVD workstream, with a focus on improving the speed and equity of access to high quality treatment for heart valve patients.To improve the early detection and diagnosis of heart valve disease across England, including aortic stenosis, £2.3 billion has been committed to open 160 community diagnostic centres by March 2025. This will increase the volume of diagnostic activity and further reduce patient waiting times. The centres have delivered over 5 million additional tests since July 2021, including those that detect cardiovascular disease.In addition, the National Health Service is investing in cardiac networks to support whole pathway improvements. These networks have been developed to take an evidenced based, clinically led, whole pathway approach to improvement, from prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and through to end-of-life care.

Department for Education

Health Education: Alcoholic Drinks

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the content of alcohol education material used in (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) universities that has been provided by organisations in receipt of funding by the alcohol industry.

Damian Hinds: From September 2020 in England, Relationships Education became compulsory for all primary school-aged pupils, Relationships and Sex Education became compulsory for all secondary school-aged pupils, and Health Education became compulsory for all pupils in state-funded schools. The statutory guidance for Health Education sets out content on drugs, alcohol and tobacco use. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education. To support implementation, the department published a teacher training module on drugs, alcohol and tobacco as part of a wider suite of teacher training materials. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-training-drugs-alcohol-and-tobacco. The department does not direct schools on which resources, external speakers or organisations to use, and the department does not endorse or promote resources to schools other than those produced by other government departments. The ‘Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education’ guidance is, however, clear that all materials used should be age appropriate and factual. The department is currently reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance. The review has been informed by an independent expert panel to advise my right. Hon friend, the Secretary of State for Education, on the introduction of age limits for sensitive subjects. In March 2023, the Secretary of State for Education also wrote to schools to remind them that copyright law does not prevent them from sharing external resources with parents. In October 2023, the Secretary of State wrote again to clarify that any contractual clause that prevents schools from sharing materials is void and unenforceable and to provide practical advice on how to share materials with parents in a way that is in line with copyright legislation. The department will ensure that the updated guidance fully reflects this very clear position. A copy of the Secretary of State’s letter to schools about sharing curriculum resources with parents is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/secretary-of-state-letter-to-schools-about-sharing-curriculum-resources-with-parents. A draft of the amended guidance will be published for consultation as soon as possible.It is for further education colleges to determine what material they use to support the health and wellbeing of students.Higher education providers in England are autonomous and independent and they make decisions on the courses that they will run. In making these decisions providers will adapt their offers to the interest of students and demand from employers. The department cannot therefore comment on their choices.

Pre-school Education: Public Consultation

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the website for her Department's consultation entitled Experience-Based Route for Early Years Practitioners, launched on 22 April 2024, was (a) designed, (b) supplied and (c) assured by the Government Digital Service.

David Johnston: The consultation entitled ‘Experience-Based Route for Early Years Practitioners’ is being held on Citizen Space. The website was not designed, supplied or assured by the Government Digital Service. The site complies with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines V2.2 AA standard. If, for exceptional reasons, a person is unable to use the online system, they may request and complete a word document version of the form by email or by post.

Department for Education: Parking

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 22 April 2022 to Question 151074 on Department for Education: Parking, if she will take steps to update and publish the data relating to her Department and arm's length bodies in that table.

Damian Hinds: The attached table includes data to support the response relating to the department and arm’s length bodies.Number of Parking Spaces (pdf, 60.4KB)

Children: Alcoholic Drinks

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the recent findings from the World Health Organization that revealed Great Britain has the highest rate of child alcohol use worldwide.

Damian Hinds: ​​Schools are already required to teach content on alcohol use as part of the statutory guidance for Health Education. Since September 2020, it has been compulsory for schools to teach Relationships Education for primary school aged pupils, Relationships and Sex Education for secondary school aged pupils and Health Education for all pupils in state-funded schools. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education. To support implementation, the department published a teacher training module on drugs, alcohol and tobacco as part of a wider suite of teacher training materials. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-training-drugs-alcohol-and-tobacco. The department is currently reviewing the content of the ‘Relationships and sex education and health education’ statutory guidance and expects to consult on an amended draft very shortly so that the new guidance will be available as soon as possible.

Apprentices: Young People

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeship starts there have been among young people aged (a) under 19 and (b) 19 to 24, by level, for each academic year since 2018-19.

Luke Hall: The following link sets out the apprenticeship starts by under 19s, including those aged between 19 to 24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/04dbd954-342d-4fa1-2d37-08dc5ed9bc49 Further information on apprenticeship starts can be found in the apprenticeships publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships.

Music: Universities

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on closures of music (a) departments and (b) courses at universities in each of the last 10 years.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department has on the number of music departments at UK universities in each of the last 10 years.

Luke Hall: The department does not hold data on the number of music departments, or on the establishment or closure of individual distinct music courses offered by higher education providers (HEPs). However, the department does hold data on the numbers of student enrolments in music courses more generally, and the number of HEPs offering these courses. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), which is now part of JISC, is responsible for collecting and publishing data about UK higher education (HE). The latest statistics refer to the 2021/22 academic year. The data on HE student enrolments by HEP and subjects of study for the 2014/15 to 2018/19 academic years is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-13. The data on HE student enrolments by HEP and subject of study for the 2019/20 to 2021/22 academic years is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-49. In the 2014/15 academic year, there were 102 HEPs that enrolled 24,620 students in music courses. In the 2021/22 academic year, this increased to 120 HEPs enrolling 37,090 students in music courses. Counts are on the basis of full-person-equivalents. Where a student is studying more than one subject, they are apportioned between the subjects that make up their course. Figures provided are for UK HEPs enrolments for all modes and levels of study, and for all domiciles. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five, in line with HESA rounding conventions. More information on the figures is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/definitions/students#rounding-and-suppression-strategy. The figures from 2019/20 onwards are not directly comparable with previous years due to the introduction of a new subject classification system, called the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS), which replaced the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS3). Further information on HECoS and JACS can be found via the following: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/hecos, and https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/jacs.

Universities: Overseas Students

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential financial impact of trends in the level of enrolments of international students on universities.

Luke Hall: The government seeks to ensure that there is a fair and robust migration policy, whilst maintaining the UK’s place as a top destination for the best and brightest students from around the world. The department remains committed to the ambitions set out in the government’s International Education Strategy to host 600,000 international students per year and to increase the value of education exports to £35 billion per year, both by 2030.The department expects the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. The UK has four universities in the top ten, and 17 in the top 100, worldwide. The UK has a highly sought after higher education (HE) experience, which is respected by students across the globe. The department is hugely proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running.However, the level of legal migration remains too high. As a result, on 4 December 2023, the government announced a new package of measures to reduce net migration and curb abuse and exploitation of the country’s immigration system.The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of the HE sector in England, continues to work closely with the Home Office, Department for Business and Trade, and other governmental departments to assess the impact of these changes on HE providers.Universities are autonomous institutions responsible for managing their own budgets. The department also works closely with the OfS to understand the evolving landscape, including on risks relating to international students.

Education: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the findings in the report by Action for Children in their report entitled Above and beyond, published on 25 April 2024, on the number of children that experience barriers to their education due to issues outside school.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the findings in the report by Action for Children in their report entitled Above and beyond, published on 25 April 2024 on the number of children that experience barriers to their education due to issues outside school, what steps her Department is taking to provide (a) early and (b) timely help to affected families.

David Johnston: This government recognises the importance of providing early and timely help for children to support them to achieve their full potential at school so that they can thrive in adulthood.At the last spending review, the department announced over £1 billion toward programmes to improve early help services from birth to adulthood, including delivering on Family Hubs and helping families facing multiple disadvantage through the Supporting Families and Holiday Activities and Food programmes.The department’s statutory guidance, titled ‘Working together to safeguard children’, which was updated in 2023, confirms the expectation that local areas should have a range of evidence-based services available to provide early support for children and families who need it.In ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, the department announced plans to build on the strengths of early help services through the implementation of Family Help. In the Families First for Children Pathfinder, the department is investigating how multi-disciplinary family help teams can provide targeted support to help children and families overcome challenges at the earliest opportunity.The department is spending more on children’s mental health services than ever before and working across government to ensure partnerships working across different sectors are delivering for children who need support.The department is also continuing to roll out Mental Health Support Teams in education settings and supporting schools and colleges to train senior mental health leads, ensuring that as many young people as possible have access to the support they need.Up to an additional £2.3 billion of additional funding a year since 2018/19 has been allocated to expand and transform mental health services. This is with the aim that 345,000 more children and young people will have been able to access NHS-funded mental health support by March 2024.The department is making the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance statutory from September 2024. This sets out how schools, local authorities and other services need to work together to support pupils at risk of poor attendance and how support provided to these families is consistent across the country.The department’s package of wide-ranging reforms designed to support schools to improve attendance means there were 440,000 fewer children persistently absent or not attending in 2022/23 compared to 2021/22.

T-levels: Student Wastage

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students who have started T-Level courses have not completed them in the last two years.

Luke Hall: The department’s recently published 2023/24 T Level Action Plan outlines the developments and next steps for T Levels and includes the latest student data for the programme. It shows that 5,321 students began their T Level in 2021/22. In summer 2023, 3,592 of those students were retained (68%), and 3,510 were retained and assessed (66%). Further data about T Levels, as well as details of the methodology used in the above can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66290c86b0ace32985a7e6d6/T_Level_action_plan_-_analytical_annex.pdf.

Overseas Students: Finance

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the number of British National Overseas visa holders that are unable to access student finance.

Luke Hall: Under the existing student support regulations, Hong Kong British National Overseas (BNO) visa holders would not have access to student finance until they have acquired a settled status in the UK and meet the three-year ordinary residence requirement. As the BNO route only opened in January 2021, the earliest a person is likely to become settled (and have access student finance) is in January 2026. As such, all persons who have been granted leave under the BNO route, are not currently able to access student finance.Home Office statistics show that 140,300 people have arrived in the UK on the scheme since it began. However, not all of these people will go on to study in higher education.

Ministry of Defence

Army: Incentives and Redundancy Pay

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) retention bonuses and (b) golden handshake payments the Army uses; and whether his Department has made an assessment of their effectiveness.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Army routinely implements Financial Retention Incentives (FRIs). There are twelve live Financial Incentives, one of which has not yet been implemented, supporting seven different cap badges, capabilities or specialities. The Army currently has two current ‘Golden Hellos’, both aimed at The Royal Logistic Corps capabilities, specifically chefs and petroleum operators. The Army continuously monitors the effectiveness of these schemes. Effectiveness is largely measured on take up rates as well as the number of Service Personnel who rescind a Notice to Terminate. This information is captured in a Post Project Evaluation.

Army Foundation College

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many live complaints of violent behaviour by college staff against recruits were recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration system at the time of Ofsted’s inspection of the Army Foundation College on 5 May 2021.

Dr Andrew Murrison: This Question has been answered using similar methodology and is subject to similar caveats to the answer given to the hon. Member on 15 December 2023 to Question 5872. As stated in the answer of 15 December 2023, any reports of such behaviour are taken very seriously and investigated thoroughly. Anyone found to be not upholding the high standards that we expect of our personnel will be dealt with accordingly. Based on a manual data search on 29 April 2024, on 5 May 2021 there were fewer thanthan five live complaints of violent behaviour by college staff against recruits recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration system. Please note: The total figure has been suppressed to preserve anonymity.Each case relates to one suspect but may include more than one alleged incident and/or victim. One suspect may have more than one case recorded.JPA is a live system which is updated for retrospective complaints/allegations. The data in this answer only reflects cases that were live on the system as at 5 May 2021.In each case a judgement was made as to whether an allegation constituted violent behaviour.Please note that the figures provided are single Service estimates based on data which is not gathered for statistical purposes or subject to the same level of scrutiny as official statistics produced by Defence Statistics. The figures provided may therefore be subject to data quality issues affecting their accuracy.

Army Foundation College: Recruitment

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether a recruit at the Army Foundation College who expresses a desire to leave the Army during the first six weeks may do so.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the then Minister for Defence People and Veterans (Leo Docherty) on 23 February 2022 to Question 125283 to the hon. Member for Glasgow North West (Carol Monaghan).Armed Forces: Young People (docx, 28.3KB)

Ministry of Defence: Hearing Impairment

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which assessment methods his Department's hearing loss compensation scheme uses; and whether he plans to update them.

Dr Andrew Murrison: There is no individual compensation scheme for hearing loss. The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) compensates for any injury (including Noise-Induced Sensorineural Hearing Loss), illness or death which was caused by or worsened by service on or after 6 April 2005. The older War Pension Scheme (WPS) compensates for any injury, illness or death which was caused by or aggravated by service before 6 April 2005.Medical evidence is carefully considered, and hearing loss is assessed initially for attributability to service, based on the burden of proof associated with the scheme rules set by Parliament.In making a determination on a claim, decision makers take into consideration a wide variety of evidence. In a hearing loss claim this is likely to include but is not limited to the service medical records, audiograms, hospital case notes and GP records (if they have left service). The evidence is carefully considered in accordance with the scheme rules.If injury is found to be attributable to service, under the AFCS, hearing loss is assessed against Tariff Table 7 (senses), which details the type and level of hearing loss required to meet the criteria for the specific descriptors. Under the WPS, a percentage assessment is derived based on audiometric values.There has recently been a review of the AFCS in the form of the quinquennial review (QQR). The purpose of which is to ensure AFCS remains fit for purpose, providing appropriate recognition and financial support to those members of the Armed Forces who are injured, become ill or die as a result of service, I announced the publication of the Government response to the AFCS Quinquennial Review on 21 March 2024.

Redford Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are based at Redford Barracks as of 23 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As at 1 January 2024, there were 370 UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at Redford Barracks. Please note the following caveats: The number of UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at Redford Barracks can only be provided as at 1 January 2024 in line with Published National Statistics.This figure comprises UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve and Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) of unknown origin. University Officer Cadets are excluded. The figure includes both trained and untrained personnel.The figure is based on Service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence – where personnel work is not necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location.Figures containing Reserve personnel are estimates because the station location data for Reserves has not been fully verified. Numbers can also vary according to activity, duty, and exercise requirements.The figure has been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure of personal identities. However, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Dreghorn Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are based at Dreghorn Barracks as of 23 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As at 1 January 2024, there were 670 UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at Dreghorn Barracks. Please note the following caveats: The number of UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at Dreghorn Barracks can only be provided as at 1 January 2024 in line with Published National Statistics.This figure comprises UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve and Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) of unknown origin. University Officer Cadets are excluded. The figure includes both trained and untrained personnel.The figure is based on Service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence – where personnel work is not necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location.Figures containing Reserve personnel are estimates because the station location data for Reserves has not been fully verified. Numbers can also vary according to activity, duty, and exercise requirements.The figure has been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure of personal identities. However, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Glencorse Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are based at Glencorse Barracks as of 23 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As at 1 January 2024, there were 480 UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at Glencorse Barracks. Please note the following caveats: The number of UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at Glencorse Barracks can only be provided as at 1 January 2024 in line with Published National Statistics.This figure comprises UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve and Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) of unknown origin. University Officer Cadets are excluded. The figure includes both trained and untrained personnel.The figure is based on Service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence – where personnel work is not necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location.Figures containing Reserve personnel are estimates because the station location data for Reserves has not been fully verified. Numbers can also vary according to activity, duty, and exercise requirements.The figure has been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure of personal identities. However, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Kinloss Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are based at Kinloss Barracks as of 23 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As at 1 January 2024, there were 790 UK Armed Forces Service Personnel stationed at Kinloss Barracks. Please note the following caveats: The number of UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at Kinloss Barracks can only be provided as at 1 January 2024 in line with Published National Statistics.This figure comprises UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve and Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) of unknown origin. University Officer Cadets are excluded. The figure includes both trained and untrained personnel.The figure is based on Service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence – where personnel work is not necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location.Figures containing Reserve personnel are estimates because the station location data for Reserves has not been fully verified. Numbers can also vary according to activity, duty, and exercise requirements.The figure has been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure of personal identities. However, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

RAF Saxa Vord

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are based at RAF Saxa Vord as of 23 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As at 1 January 2024, there were no UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at Remote Radar Head Saxa Vord. Please note, UK Forces Service personnel is defined as UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel, Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve, and Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS) of unknown origin. University Officer Cadets are excluded. Data has been provided as at 1 January 2024 to align with published Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics.

RRH Buchan

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are based at RRH Buchan as of 23 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As at 1 January 2024, there were 20 UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at Remote Radar Head (RRH) Buchan. Please note, UK Forces Service personnel is defined as UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel, Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve, and Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS) of unknown origin. University Officer Cadets are excluded. The figure includes trained and untrained personnel. The figure has been rounded to the nearest 10. However, numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias. Data has been provided as at 1 January 2024 to align with published Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics.

RRH Benbecula

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are based at RRH Benbecula.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As at 1 January 2024, there were no UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at Remote Radar Head Benbecula. Please note, all UK Forces Service personnel is defined as UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel, Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve, and Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS) of unknown origin. University Officer Cadets are excluded.

RAF Kirknewton

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are based at RAF Kirknewton.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As at 1 January 2024, there were no UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at RAF Kirknewton. Please note, UK Forces Service personnel is defined as UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel, Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve, and Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS) of unknown origin. University Officer Cadets are excluded.

Veterans Welfare Service: Finance and Staff

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the budget of the Veterans Welfare Service is; and how many staff work for that Service.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Veterans Welfare Service forms part of Defence Business Services (DBS), and is not an independent entity. Budgets and staff numbers are allocated within DBS at the delivery of veterans' services level referred to publicly as Veterans UK, and includes the administration of compensation claims, veterans' welfare services, pensions, some support to serving personnel and the running of Ilford Park Polish Home. It is not possible to break this information down to only the Veterans Welfare Service. The Veterans Services overall budget for financial year (FY)2023-24 was £20.003million and includes the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card project delivery.The average Full Time Equivalent (FTE) across all Veterans Services for FY2023-24 was 437.91.

RAF Kirknewton: Repairs and Maintenance

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to RAF Kirknewton for maintenance issues relating to (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics, (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to RRH Benbecula for maintenance issues relating to (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics, (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to RRH Buchan for maintenance issues relating to (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics, (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to RAF Saxa Vord for maintenance issues on (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics, (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to Kinloss Barracks for maintenance issues on (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics, (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to Glencorse Barracks for maintenance issues on (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics, (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to Dreghorn Barracks for maintenance issues on (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics, (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to Redford Barracks for maintenance issues (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.

James Cartlidge: The total number of callouts to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) for RAF Kirknewton, RRH Benbecula, RRH Buchan, RAF Saxa Vord, Kinloss Barracks, Glencorse Barracks, Dreghorn and Redford Barracks for maintenance issues since April 2022, are shown in the table below. Please note we are unable to separate the figures for Dreghorn and Redford Barracks as they are both held under the Edinburgh location.  MOD SiteRoofingLoss of Heating & Hot WaterElectricalPest ControlDamp & MouldRAF KirknewtonStation closed – All SFA have been identified for disposalRRH BenbeculaSFA have been identified for disposalRRH Buchan21303RAF Saxa VordNo SFA associated with this site.Kinloss Barracks375211122Glencorse Barracks57261118Dreghorn & Redford Barracks1011868203 The total number of callouts to RAF Kirknewton, RRH Benbecula, RRH Buchan, RAF Saxa Vord, Kinloss Barracks, Glencorse Barracks, Dreghorn and Redford Barracks for maintenance issues since April 2022 excluding callouts to SFA, are shown in the table below; MOD SiteRoofingLoss of Heating & Hot WaterElectricalPest ControlDamp & MouldRAF Kirknewton14720RRH Benbecula611000RRH Buchan1091501RAF Saxa Vord602800Kinloss Barracks1264202894468Glencorse Barracks121296249750Dreghorn Barracks414820636Redford Barracks81207353116

HMS Raleigh

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on improving service accommodation at HMS Raleigh since April 2022.

James Cartlidge: The Department has not undertaken any improvement works on Service Family Accommodation (SFA) at HMS Raleigh since April 2022. There are 95 SFA properties directly attached to HMS Raleigh. However, the Department has spent over £10 million on SFA in the Plymouth area, where personnel from HMS Raleigh could reside. The following has been spent on Single Living Accommodation for HMS Raleigh since April 2022: Improvements = £439,918Maintenance = £1,433,951

HMS Raleigh

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are based at HMS Raleigh as of 24 April 2024..

James Cartlidge: As of 1 January 2024, there were 970 personnel based at HMS RALEIGH across all UK Forces. This figure includes both trained and untrained personnel. This number is subject to constant change due to personnel being deployed, completing their draft at HMS RALEIGH or starting new roles.

HMS Raleigh: Repairs and Maintenance

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to HMS Raleigh for maintenance issues relating to (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.

James Cartlidge: The total number of callouts to Service Family Accommodation at HMS Raleigh for maintenance issues relating to (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022 are shown in the table below.  MOD Site RoofingLoss Heating & Hot WaterElectricalPest ControlDamp & MouldHMS Raleigh424316379  The total number of callouts that have been made to HMS Raleigh for maintenance issues relating to (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022 excluding SFA, are shown in the table below. MOD Site RoofingLoss Heating & Hot WaterElectricalPest ControlDamp & MouldHMS Raleigh184637101710856

Armed Forces: Housing

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Defence Command Paper 2023, published on 18 July 2023, how much of the £400 million announced for improving service accommodation has been spent as of 24 April 2024.

James Cartlidge: As at 24 April 2024, circa £220 million of works to improve Service Family Accommodation were delivered in Financial Year 2023-24. The balance of £180 million is fully committed, with work being delivered over the next 12 months.

Armed Forces: Housing

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many compensation payments were awarded to families living in service family accommodation in (a) January, (b) February, (c) March and (d) April 2024; and what the value of such payments was in each month.

James Cartlidge: The table below details the number of compensation payments awarded to families living in Service Family Accommodation between 1 January and 21 April 2024, and the value of those compensation payments. MonthNumber of compensation payments made to Service familiesValue of paymentsJanuary 20241,434£144,469February 20241,382£95,411March 2024845£75,261April 2024 (1 April – 21 April 2024)478£35,245

Germany: Challenger Tanks

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) UK and (b) German content is of the Challenger III main battle tank.

James Cartlidge: The Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank programme is the first British-built tank in 22 years and supports hundreds of UK jobs in Telford, Gateshead, Bristol and Bovington. Over 60% of the value of the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) contract will utilise the UK supply chain.

Defence: Research

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the £6.6bn in R&D spend for defence announced in his Department's paper entitled Defence and Security Industrial Strategy: A strategic approach to the UK’s defence and security industrial sectors, CP 410, published in March 2021, is (a) uncommitted and (b) unspent.

James Cartlidge: As part of this Spending Review Period (financial years 2021-22 to 2024-25) the Department established a ringfence of £6.6 billion for R&D across the four years. This was a minimum required spend over the period, rather than a set amount. All R&D funding is allocated to Top Level Budgets (TLBs) as part of the annual budget cycle, and have been able to spend more than the ringfence as long as it is within the Department's overall budget.In the first three years of this Spending Review period the department exceeded its targets and spent over £6 billion. Whilst forecasts for R&D spend for this financial year are subject to change, we ultimately expect to comfortably exceed the £6.6 billion ringfenced figure by the end of this financial year.

UK Defence and Security Exports

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 6422 on UK Defence and Security Exports, how many times the Defence and Security Exports Inter-Ministerial Group met since December 2023 and on what dates.

James Cartlidge: The Inter-Ministerial Group on Defence and Security Exports has met twice. Its inaugural meeting was on 12 December 2023; its second, chaired by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, was held on 16 April 2024.

Armed Forces: Housing

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the service family accommodation housing stock is in Woolwich; and how many service family accommodation properties in Woolwich are listed to be disposed of.

James Cartlidge: There are 261 Service Family Accommodation properties in Woolwich and 57 of those have been identified for disposal.

Defence Equipment: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on the Ground Based Air Defence programme.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 April 2024 to Question 23107.Defence Programmes (docx, 14.7KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Carer's Allowance: Overpayments

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how frequently HM Revenue and Customs provides his Department with earnings alerts on potential overpayments of carer’s allowance.

Mims Davies: HMRC provides DWP with 4 daily alerts to changes of earnings, based off a set of business logic/rules which covers Carers Allowance, Housing Benefit and Pension Credit. The earnings notified do not take account of allowable expenses which people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance may wish to deduct.

Jobcentres: Staff

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hours of (a) initial and (b) continuing professional development training on domestic abuse do work coaches at DWP Jobcentre Plus centres receive.

Mims Davies: All DWP new entrant Work Coaches undergo a minimum mandatory learning journey comprising of a combination of induction, onboarding, and operational fundamental learning covering vulnerable customers and complex needs. This includes a 30-minute product on domestic violence and abuse. The Work Coach specific learning journey includes a further 90-minute facilitated product on domestic abuse. This builds on the initial introduction to this topic and is available for Work Coaches to refresh their understanding and approach as they continue in their day-to-day role.

Carer's Allowance: Students

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of removing the 21 hour study rule from the eligibility criteria for Carer’s Allowance.

Mims Davies: This Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by informal carers. With respect to full-time education, the Government believes that this should be supported by the educational maintenance system. That is why, as a general principle, full-time students are precluded from entitlement to income-related and income-maintenance benefits, including Carer’s Allowance.Educational institutions decide which young people receive bursaries or other support and determine the level of financial support they receive. They develop their own eligibility criteria for access to the discretionary bursary fund, including setting a household income threshold appropriate to their area, and must publish this information for their students. Arrangements may differ across the United Kingdom.In England, for example, over £160 million of bursary funding has been allocated in the 2023/24 academic year to institutions to help disadvantaged 16- to 19-year-olds with the costs of taking part in education. This is nearly 12% higher than published allocations for last year. The Department for Education has also made available £20 million each year in England specifically to support students in defined vulnerable groups.Carer’s Allowance is a devolved benefit in Scotland.

Prisons: Employment

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many prisoners have accessed support through Prison Work Coaches since the scheme's introduction; and how many of those prisoners entered the labour market as a result in each such year.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has around 200 Prison Work Coaches who provide benefit and employment support to prisoners in every prison across England, Scotland and Wales. Data is not available on how many prisoners have accessed support through Prison Work Coaches. We are pleased employment rates amongst prison leavers continue to improve. In the year to March 2023, 25.9% of prison leavers were employed 6 months post release, up from 17.3% in the previous year, excluding cases out of scope or where the status was unknown. This information is included in the Community Performance Annual, update to March 2023 which is published on gov.uk[1].  [1] Community Performance Annual, update to March 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Department for Work and Pensions: Mental Illness

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department's took a leave of absence due to mental ill health by (a) gender, (b) age and (c) UK region between1 May 2023 and 11 April 2024.

Paul Maynard: Please see the attached document for the total number of people who have worked in DWP and taken at least one leave of absence at some point between 1st May 2023 and 31st March 2024. It includes those who left the department during this period. Figures for April 2024 are not yet available.23191  (xlsx, 45.7KB)

Poverty: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of children from single parent households that are in poverty.

Jo Churchill: Our focus is on supporting parents into work as we know that work substantially reduces the chances of poverty. The latest available statistics show that in 2022/23, children in workless lone parent families were nearly 3 times more likely to be in absolute low income after housing costs than children in working lone parent families. We have consistently set out a sustainable, long-term approach to tackling child poverty based on evidence about the important role of work, particularly where it is full-time. Single parents are better off in work under Universal Credit due to a simple taper system (claimants can keep more of their earnings).

Carer's Allowance: Overpayments

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carer’s allowance overpayments over (a) £5,000 and (b) £20,000 there were in (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24.

Paul Maynard: We recognise the significant contribution of carers to supporting those most in need, which is why we have increased Carer's Allowance by almost £1,500 since 2010. As with all DWP benefits, claimants have a responsibility to ensure they are entitled to the benefit they claim and to inform the DWP of any changes in their circumstances that could impact their award. For Carer’s Allowance, eligibility is partly dependent upon claimants earning £151 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and allowable expenses. This is set out at: Carer's Allowance: Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Where overpayments do occur due to not being entitled to the benefit, the Department has a duty to the taxpayer to protect public funds and to ask for money to be paid back. We remain committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their repayment terms and will always look to negotiate sustainable and affordable repayment plans. Our most recent statistics show that Carer's Allowance overpayments relating to earnings/employment represents 2.1% of our £3.3bn Carer’s Allowance expenditure. The information requested has been provided in the table below.Carer’s Allowance Overpayment Value Grouping2022/232023/24£5000.00 - £20,000.001,3101,300Over £20,000.006040Total1,3701,340 The data has been sourced from internal DWP management information, which is intended only to help the Department to manage its business. It is not intended for publication and has not been subject to the same quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. Note that the year relates to when the debt was raised on Debt Manager, and therefore not necessarily the period as to when Carer’s Allowance was overpaid. The overpayments may span periods of many years.

Carer's Allowance: Overpayments

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the highest value overpayment has been for Carer’s Allowance in the (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23 and (c) 2023-24 financial years.

Paul Maynard: Claimants have a responsibility to ensure they are entitled to benefits they claim and to inform the DWP of any changes in their circumstances that could impact their award. Where overpayments do occur due to not being entitled to the benefit, the Department has a duty to the taxpayer to protect public funds and to ask for money to be paid back. We remain committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their repayment terms and will always look to negotiate sustainable and affordable repayment plans. Our most recent statistics show that Carer's Allowance overpayments relating to earnings/employment represents just 2.1% of our £3.3bn Carer’s Allowance expenditure. The information requested has been provided in the table below. To avoid potentially disclosing personal information, we have bucketed the values requested.  Highest Value Carer’s Allowance Overpayment2021/222022/232023/24Total£60-70k£30-40k£40-50k The data has been sourced from internal DWP management information, which is intended only to help the Department to manage its business. It is not intended for publication and has not been subject to the same quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. Note that the values represent the original overpayment amount when raised on Debt Manager. As the year relates to when the overpayment was raised as a debt for recovery, it does not necessarily relate to the period as to when benefit was overpaid. The overpayments above all span periods of many years. Note that the data provided is for all categories of overpayment. It is not necessarily the case that these overpayments arose due to claimants breaching the earnings limit.

Carer's Allowance: Overpayments

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full time equivalent staff in his Department worked on investigation of earnings alerts for carer’s allowance in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2022-23, (d) 2022-23 and (e) 2023-24.

Paul Maynard: The Department allocated the following resources to full time equivalent to the investigation of earnings alerts for carer’s allowance as outlined below;  FTE 19/2046.4320/2155.2021/2280.9222/2359.7523/2448.70 Data is correct as of March for each of the following Financial Years: (a) 2019/20, (b) 2020/21, (c) 2021/22, (d) 2022/23 and (e) 2023/24. Figures were derived from the Department’s Activity Based Model (ABM), which provides Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figures based on point in time estimate by Line Managers. They cover only FTE of staff with paid employment. The number of colleagues employed in these directorates is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. As the Department holds the information, we have released it.

State Retirement Pensions: Women

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his planned timetable is for responding to the findings and recommendations from the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman report into the changes to Women’s State Pension Age, published on 21 March 2024.

Paul Maynard: In laying the report before Parliament at the end of March, the Ombudsman has brought matters to the attention of this House, and a further update to the House will be provided once the report's findings have been fully considered.

Social Security Benefits

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of claims processed within planned processing timescales.

Paul Maynard: The Department has seen a sustained increase in applications and demand for DWP services as a result of the pandemic and subsequent cost of living pressures, as well as ongoing publicity campaigns such as Help for Households and Pension Credit take-up. Whilst we have seen an overall improvement in claims processed within planned timescales, and we expect that overall performance to continue to improve in the 24-25 figures, we acknowledge that across our services more needs to be done to improve the number of claims processed within the planned timescales. Through recruitment in 23-24 we have started 17,166 people in new roles (and have further candidates due to start in Q1 of 24-25). This level of recruitment has resulted in a net increase in our Service Delivery resource levels to meet customer demand. We also have utilised our existing contracts with external partners to increase our service delivery capacity. Across our service lines we continue to focus on productivity improvement activities, as well as continuing to modernise our benefit services through our digital transformation and Service Modernisation programmes, which mean an increasing number of claims can now be made online and through self-service. The Department strategy is to continue our modernisation programme, enable our people to focus on supporting more vulnerable customers who are unable to self-serve or need additional support.

Personal Independence Payment

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of new Personal Independence Payment claims have been completed within the planned processing timescales by (a) nation and (b) region in each year since 2013.

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of new Employment and Support Allowance claims have been completed within the planned processing timescales by (a) nation and (b) region in each year since 2010.

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of new Disability Living Allowance claims have been completed within the planned processing timescales by (a) nation and (b) region in each year since 2010.

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of new Jobseeker’s Allowance claims have been completed within the planned processing timescales by (a) nation and (b) region in each year since 2010.

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of new Universal Credit claims have been completed within the planned processing timescales by (a) nation and (b) region in each year since 2012.

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of new State Pension claims have been completed within the planned processing timescales by (a) nation and (b) region in each year since 2010.

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of new Pension Credit claims have been completed within the planned processing timescales by (a) nation and (b) region in each year since 2010.

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of new Child Maintenance claims have been completed within the planned processing timescales by (a) nation and (b) region in each year since 2012.

Paul Maynard: Table 1 - Percentage of new claims that have been completed within the planned processing timescales by benefit.   2016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-24Jobseekers Allowance88.6%86.8%80.6%53.1%82.5%87.1%67.8%58.7%Employment and Support Allowance84.6%85.3%73.3%96.1%70.9%42.5%47.4%39.5%State Pension87.9%73.7%86.8%86.7%76.2%45.6%72.0%96.2%Pension Credit71.0%55.2%53.4%44.8%88.2%74.3%45.7%77.7%Disability Living Allowance (child)96.8%96.5%96.2%91.3%92.1%35.6%4.6%3.5%Personal Independence Payment 85.1%77.2%72.3%40.4%23.0%6.8%38.4%51.7%Child Maintenance Service82.8%87.4%88.3%91.6%84.3%84.3%79.4%79.6%Universal Credit  80.4%85.2%90.9%85.7%84.4%TBC  Comments to note: Data has been provided for the years 2016-17 to 2023-24 (UC 2018-19 to 2023-24). Previous years requested are not retained centrally and the breakdown by nation and region for services except UC would only be available at a disproportionate cost. In the spirit of answering the question we have provided table 1 above.  Service Performance Context: Jobseekers Allowance From the start of the pandemic until April 2021, JSA claims were subject to easements that meant face-to-face appointment was removed. In April 2021, Claimant Commitments and regular face to face engagement requirements were reintroduced.  Employment and Support Allowance ESA 2019-20 to 2023-24, the new claim process for New Style Employment and Support Allowance (NSESA) changed. In April 2020 a digital claim was introduced during Covid. Prior to this, as part of the new claim process, a period up to 10 days at beginning was never measured. With the re-designed process all time is included, so it is not possible to make a like-for-like comparison with the new claim process before April 2020. State Pension Performance was severely impacted due to the need to repivot resource to other areas, such as Universal Credit, during the global pandemic. In 2021/22, resource was re-deployed to work through the backlogs. Investment in digital services in this area has also aided recovery leading to significant performance improvements in 2023/24. Pension Credit 2019/20 was impacted by substantial spikes in claims following the BBC decision to remove free TV licences. Uptake in Pension Credit has been encouraged through campaigns and again led to unprecedented claims being received when entitlement was linked to additional Cost of Living payments. This created backlogs and impacted payment timeliness as these were recovered. Disability Living Allowance (Child)  Disability Living Allowance ceased in 2013 and is no longer an active benefit, it was replaced by Personal Independence Payment. Disability Living Allowance for Children continues to accept new claims and as such we have responded in respect of this benefit.Demand for Child DLA has increased in recent years and is significantly higher than pre-pandemic volumes.During 2020-21 we deferred case renewal activity to focus on processing new claims. Since then the service has had to service both high new claims volumes and the deferred renewal work which has led to longer processing times.We have increased the numbers of staff working on Child DLA to respond to increase new claims volumes, and clear cases in date order to ensure fair customer service. Personal Independence Payment PIP performance represents a significant recovery compared to prior periods and the lowest average journey time recorded since 2018 (see published statistics)PIP New Claims demand is significantly higher than pre-Covid levels, despite the devolution of Scottish claims during this period. Child Maintenance ServiceChild Maintenance Service application volumes have been sharply increasing with CMS receiving more than 50% more in 2023/24 than in 2021/22. This dip in performance over this time can largely be explained by this. More recently, the removal of the Application fee has also resulted in higher volumes. Universal Credit  Data has been provided for the years 2018-19 to 2023-24. Detailed data by local areas is available via Stat Xplore within the Universal Credit Published Statistics (Universal Credit statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)). Previous years requested are not retained centrally or published and the breakdown by nation and region would only be available at a disproportionate cost. The 2023-24 figures for UC are not available until May as per the Statistics Release schedule.  Planned timescales for all benefits are listed in table 2 below. Table 2: Planned Timescales for new claims (current methodology)Jobseekers AllowanceWithin 10 working daysEmployment and Support AllowanceWithin 10 working daysState PensionWithin 20 working days of State Pension entitlement date or 20 working days of Initial date of claim if claiming after entitlement has started.Pension CreditWithin 50 working daysDisability Living Allowance (Child)Within 40 working daysPersonal Independence PaymentWithin 75 working daysChild Maintenance ServicePayment within 12 weeksUniversal Credit% Full Payment 1st Assessment Period Notes: The planned timescales detailed above relate to those used for the 23/24 financial year. The timescales and methodologies to calculate them have changed over time to reflect new processes, technology and demands on our services.

Carer's Allowance: Overpayments

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many potential cases of overpayments of carer’s allowance were flagged by the Verified Earnings and Pensions service system in each of the last five financial years; and how many such cases were investigated in each of those years.

Paul Maynard: Rounded2019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24The number of cases flagged as potentially in need of investigation by the VEPs system91,00073,00096,000107,00067,000The number of cases investigated35,00038,00046,00050,00035,000

State Retirement Pensions: Women

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet representatives of Women Against State Pension Inequality to discuss the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman's findings and recommendations in its report entitled Women’s State Pension Age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, published on 21 March 2024.

Paul Maynard: In laying the report before Parliament at the end of March, the Ombudsman has brought matters to the attention of this House, and a further update to the House will be provided once the report's findings have been fully considered.

State Retirement Pensions: Age

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the State Pension age to 60.

Paul Maynard: As stated in our previous response to the same question published on 24 April 2024, the Government has no plans to make such an assessment. Changes to State Pension age were made over a series of Acts by successive governments from 1995 onwards, following public consultations and extensive debates in both Houses of Parliament. Further changes were introduced through the Pensions Acts 2011 and 2014 in order to protect public finances and maintain the sustainability of the State Pension over the long term. Under the 2011 Pensions Act the State Pension age for women and men rose to 66. The rise in State Pension age to 67 has been planned since 2014. Since then, the Government has undertaken two statutory State Pension age reviews, one in 2017 and one in 2023. These reviews both considered whether the existing rules about the timetable for State Pension age rising to 67 remained appropriate. Both reviews, including the Independent Reports that supported them, concluded that the rules concerning the increase in State Pension age from 66 to 67 should continue as planned.

State Retirement Pensions: Women

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he last met with the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman to discuss the findings and recommendations of its report on changes to Women’s State Pension Age, published on 21 March 2024.

Paul Maynard: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not met with the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman since the report into Women’s State Pension age was published on 21 March 2024.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) periods of amnesty and (b) lower repayment plans to help tackle fraud in the welfare system.

Paul Maynard: Fraud and error is £8.3bn and the Department has a duty to the taxpayer to protect public funds and recover overpayments when they occur.The Department’s priority is to negotiate affordable and sustainable repayment plans that do not cause undue financial hardship. We remain committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their repayment terms and encourage customers to contact DWP Debt Management. Debt Management will work with individuals to review their financial circumstances and, in most instances, a temporary reduction in their rate of repayment can also be agreed. No assessment has been carried out on the potential merits of introducing amnesties.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking post-legislative scrutiny of the Fraud Act 2006 and its potential impact on female welfare claimants.

Paul Maynard: No assessment has been made as this is not a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions. The Ministry of Justice carried out a post-implementation review on the Fraud Act 2006: Post-legislative Assessment of the Fraud Act 2006 (publishing.service.gov.uk) and the Home Office have confirmed that on 12 October 2023 the Government launched the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences. Part two of the Review will evaluate the operation of the Fraud Act: Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).’

Social Security Benefits: Domestic Abuse

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many domestic violence easements were granted in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024 to date.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Business and Trade

Post Office: Termination of Employment

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many Post Office staff have left that organisation in each year since 2015.

Kevin Hollinrake: This information is not held centrally. This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd and we will ask the company to write to the Hon. Member.

British Business Bank

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how (a) much finance was and (b) many loans were provided to businesses by the British Business Bank; and how many and what proportion of these loans were provided to small businesses.

Kevin Hollinrake: At 2022/23 the British Business Bank was supporting £12.4bn of finance to 90,201 small businesses across the UK through the Bank’s 220 delivery partners. Finance supported by the Bank is intended for small and medium businesses, as defined in the Companies Act.

Small Businesses

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an estimate of the number of small and medium-sized businesses in (a) 2010, (b) 2015, (c) 2020 and (d) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Kevin Hollinrake: Estimated number of private sector small and medium-sized businesses at the start of 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2023 (the latest year for which data is available) are provided in the table below.Table: Estimated number of private sector small and medium-sized business by year Number of businesses20104,476,70020155,394,30020205,972,60020235,547,100Source: Business Population Estimates

Business: Staff

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many businesses that have employees there were in (a) 2010, (b) 2015, (c) 2020 and (d) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Kevin Hollinrake: Estimated number of employing businesses in the private sector at the start of 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2023 (the latest year for which data is available) are provided in the table below.Table: Estimated number of employing businesses in the private sector by year Number of employing businesses20101,224,50020151,311,90020201,412,70020231,445,000Source: Business Population Estimates

New Businesses

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the number of new businesses that have been established since 2010.

Kevin Hollinrake: There were some 4.4 million registered business ‘births’ between 2010 and 2022 (the latest year for which data is available).Source: ONS: Business Demography

Members: Correspondence

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 30 March 2024 from the hon. Member for Cardiff Central.

Kevin Hollinrake: The correspondence from the hon. Member for Cardiff Central was responded to on 26th April 2024.

Carbon Emissions

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what purchases her Department made of international carbon credits in the most recent five years for which figures are available; and what the average cost per tonne of CO2 was.

Alan Mak: The Department has not purchased any carbon credits since its inception in February 2023.

Public Holidays

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating additional bank holidays in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland for their respective saints' days.

Kevin Hollinrake: We recognise the importance of celebrating the respective saints’ days across the UK. While an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday remains considerable. The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday to be around £2bn. The Government fully considers the effects of any additional bank holidays, which is why we rarely create them.The Government has no plans to change the well-established and accepted arrangements for bank holidays.

Regulation: Public Consultation

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she will publish a response to her Department’s consultation entitled Smarter regulation: strengthening the economic regulation of the energy, water and telecoms sectors, which closed on 28th January 2024.

Kevin Hollinrake: The response to the consultation is expected to be published shortly as part of the Department’s Smarter Regulation programme.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

UK Research and Innovation: Postgraduate Education

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of PhDs funded (a) in whole and (b) in part by UKRI are allocated to Chinese nationals.

Andrew Griffith: Rounded to the nearest 5, in Financial Year 2022-23, 28,190 doctoral students received full or partial funding through UKRI training grants. 560 of these students were recorded as Chinese nationals.

UK Research and Innovation: China

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether UK Research and Innovation have (a) staff and (b) offices in China.

Andrew Griffith: UK Research Innovation (UKRI) has one overseas office in China with seven staff, co-located in the British Embassy Beijing.

Data Protection: Business

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support businesses secure their digital infrastructure against the provision of technological services from companies deemed a potential threat to national security.

Julia Lopez: The security of UK businesses and their digital infrastructure is a priority for the government and a key part of the National Cyber Strategy. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) works with Ofcom, UK technical authorities (the National Cyber Security Centre & National Protective Security Authority) and industry to identify risks and secure telecoms network infrastructure. The UK Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 sets out one of the world’s toughest telecoms cyber security regimes and places stringent obligations on public telecoms networks providers to protect networks against security threats. The Act also created new national security powers to control the use of high-risk vendors in the UK’s telecoms network. The government encourages businesses to improve their digital infrastructure security through the Cyber Essentials scheme and the Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018.

Voice over Internet Protocol: Telemedicine

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 22261 on Voice Over Internet Protocol: Telemedicine, how many written updates from Communication Providers she has received on their approach to the migration from Public Switched Telephone Network to Voice over Internet Protocol since January 2024; and if she will publish updates received.

Julia Lopez: I can confirm that extensive discussions with Communication Providers (CPs) are ongoing, with a formalised reporting system having recently been established and a first update expected in May. Separately, Ofcom has also agreed a formal incident reporting system with CPs, with the first update expected in July of this year.

Voice over Internet Protocol: Local Government

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish a list of meetings her Department has had with local authorities on the switch off of the public switched telephone network since April 2023.

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish a list of her Department's meetings on the public switched telephone network Charter since January 2024.

Julia Lopez: The Department has regular meetings with Local Authorities on this issue. That is in addition to frequent meetings with other relevant stakeholders, including industry and the signatories of the Charter.

UK Research and Innovation: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding her Department plans to provide to UK Research and Innovation in the next three financial years.

Andrew Griffith: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to Question UIN 22712 on Monday 29th April.

Media: Disinformation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what support is available to media organisations to (a) detect and (b) counteract foreign disinformation.

Saqib Bhatti: The Government takes the issue of information threats to national security seriously, and the UK has a strong record of working closely with a wide range of different stakeholders to tackle these risks. We recognise the invaluable role of a free and independent press in providing accurate and reliable information. Government works to complement the efforts of our independent press sector through a number of initiatives to counter disinformation. For example, in 2022 the Government provided the BBC World Service with £4.1m emergency funding to help it to continue to bring independent, impartial and accurate news to people in Ukraine and Russia and counter disinformation in the face of increased propaganda from the Russian state. The Government has also directly sanctioned Russia-backed state media organisations who spread disinformation, helping to prevent the most prolific and harmful sources of disinformation from spreading propaganda to UK audiences online. The Government has also recently passed the Online Safety Act (OSA), which includes the Foreign Interference Offence as a priority offence. This will require social media companies to take action against a wide range of state-sponsored disinformation and interference targeted at the UK. Ofcom will produce guidance for providers on how they should fulfil these duties. The consultation for this guidance closed in March 2024 and Ofcom is currently finalising these codes, due to come into force at the end of 2024.

Ministry of Justice

Child Rearing

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle parental alienation.

Mike Freer: The Government does not recognise the concept of “parental alienation” and does not accept that it is a syndrome capable of diagnosis.In his judgment in the case of Re C the President of the Family Division detailed that the courts focus should be on the “identification of ‘alienating behaviour’” rather than seeking “to determine whether the label ‘parental alienation’ can be applied”. In providing advice to the court, Cafcass does not recognise “parental alienation” and instead looks at the individual behaviours of a parent. In cases where a child is resistant, or refuses, to see a parent Cafcass Family Court Advisers must first consider whether domestic abuse or other forms of harmful parenting are a contributing factor.The Government is aware of concerns of about unregulated “parental alienation” experts being instructed in the family courts. To address this issue, we are working with the Family Procedure Rule Committee to make changes to the Family Procedure Rules and their associated Practice Directions to prevent the instruction of these unregulated experts.

Crown Court: Standards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the backlog in the Crown Court.

Mike Freer: We remain committed to tackling the outstanding caseload in the Crown Court and have introduced a range of measures to achieve this aim. We expect to have sat around 107,000 days at the Crown Court in the last financial year (FY2023/24), representing around a 30% increase on sitting day levels during the 2019/20 financial year. We have also recruited around 1,000 judges and tribunal members across all jurisdictions in the last financial year so we can hear more cases. Judges have worked tirelessly to complete more cases. HMCTS Management Information shows that disposals have increased throughout the last calendar year, with February disposals being at their highest level than at any other point in the last 12 months, with 9,958 disposals in February 2024, up 18% on February 2023 (8,451). We are also investing more in our criminal courts. In August 2023, we announced we are investing £220 million for essential modernisation and repair work of our court buildings across the next two years, up to March 2025. We have also continued the use of 20 Nightingale courtrooms into the 2024/25 financial year, to allow courts to work at full capacity.

Wandsworth Prison: Drugs

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce drugs use by prisoners in HMP Wandsworth.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when and with whom he has had discussions on drugs use in HMP Wandsworth this year.

Edward Argar: HMP Wandsworth has benefitted from our £100 million investment in tough security measures, introducing x-ray body scanning for prisoners and enhanced gate security provisions for visitors and staff, which includes archway metal detectors, drugs dogs and x-ray baggage scanners. These measures are helping to tackle the supply of drugs and other contraband into prisons, and as of October 2023, our x-ray body scanners had recorded more than 46,900 positive indications across the prison estate since their introduction.We are also expanding the number of Incentivised Substance-Free Living Units (ISFLs), where prisoners commit to remaining free of illicit drugs and alcohol, with regular drug testing and incentives. 80 prisons, including HMP Wandsworth, now have an ISFL. The ISFL at HMP Wandsworth is a 16-bed unit where residents have access to additional support, privileges and substance misuse interventions whilst undergoing voluntary drug testing twice a month.HMP Wandsworth also works closely with their Substance Misuse Service Provider, “Change, Grow, Live” to deliver a comprehensive programme of recovery workshops, and is currently in the process of recruiting a new, dedicated Drug Strategy Lead to better co-ordinate efforts to keep drugs out of the prison.As the responsible minister for prisons, I receive regular updates on their conditions and performance, including those at HMP Wandsworth, via a variety of means, including through formal face to face discussion such as the quarterly Ministerial Performance Review Board meetings.

Wandsworth Prison

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to reduce over-crowding in HMP Wandsworth.

Edward Argar: In prisons where we have crowding in place, a rigorous cell certification process is undertaken that ensures the use of cells is subject to a formal assessment of safety and decency.We continue to pursue the package of longer-term measures the Lord Chancellor announced on 16 October 2023 to reform the justice system and address the prison capacity challenges. The measures include: the extension of the Early Removal Scheme to deport Foreign National Offenders (FNOs), introducing a presumption to suspend sentences of 12 months or less, curtailing the licence period for IPP sentences and extending the use of Home Detention Curfew. On 11 March, the Lord Chancellor announced the next steps in our plan, to allow us to go further and faster in removing FNOs. This includes expediting prisoner transfers with our priority partners, such as Albania, and the creation of a new taskforce across the Home Office and Ministry of Justice to change the way we process FNO cases radically.To meet pressing demand, we are building c.20,000 modern, rehabilitative prison places – the biggest prison build programme since the Victorian era. We have already delivered c.5,900 of these, including through our two new 1,700 places prisons, HMP Five Wells and HMP Fosse Way, and c.590 Rapid Deployment Cells across 11 sites. By the end of 2025, we are on track to have delivered around 10,000 places in total.The Government will continue to monitor the evolving situation with demand for prison places carefully, so that we can make sure we have the right approaches in place to maintain the capacity required for a safe and effective criminal justice system.

Wandsworth Prison

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average weekly time out of cell for prisoners in HMP Wandsworth has been for each week in 2024.

Edward Argar: Prison governors set a regime for each day specifying when prisoners will ordinarily be unlocked. There will be occasions, however, where certain prisoners will remain in their cell during these times. Reasons for this will include illness, the management of operational incidents, and other operational reasons such as staff needing to be deployed to other duties. There will also be occasions where prisoners will be out of cell at times when they are scheduled to be locked in, for example to attend medical appointments at hospital, a late arrival from court, or a transfer between prisons.To accurately record the amount of time prisoners spend out of cell, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service would therefore be required to record information for each individual prisoner, taking into account their unique movements on a daily basis.There is no central mandate which governs the amount of time that prisoners should spend out of their cells. Governors are instead afforded the flexibility to deliver balanced regimes that maintain an appropriate level of time out of cell on a range of activities, including association, which meet the needs of the establishment’s population.

Prisoners' Release

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were released under the executive release scheme in each year between 2017 and 2023.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were released under the Release following Risk Assessed Recall review process between 7 September and 31 December 2023.

Edward Argar: In the case of recalled standard determinate sentence and extended sentence offenders, the Secretary of State has an executive power to re-release them, if he considers that the statutory release test is met - that is, that it is no longer necessary on the grounds of public protection for the offender to remain confined. Thus, the Secretary of State’s power is exercised with regard to the same test to which the Parole Board has regard.The power is exercised by officials in the Public Protection Group (PPG), in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service under approved delegated authority. In exercising that power, PPG works closely with the Probation Service, in order to put in place a robust risk management plan before a final decision is made to re-release the prisoner.The number of recalled offenders released using the Secretary of State’s re-release power for each year between 2017 and 2023 is set out in the table below. Executive re-release was refreshed and relaunched as Risk Assessed Recall Review (RARR) on 30 May 2023. Between 7 September and 31 December 2023, 89 people were released following a RARR.Year of issuing  the decisionNumber of releases20171,58420181,3862019957202072520214642022922023 up to May20The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. As such, figures are subject to change as information is updated.Data source: Public Protection Unit Database (PPUD)

Home Office

Homelessness

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which homelessness stakeholders he has met since his appointment.

Chris Philp: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities lead on homelessness and rough sleeping and as such have regular meetings with stakeholders.The Home Office has additionally engaged with police, local authorities, Police and Crime Commissioners and other organisations including the homelessness sector on this topic. This has highlighted that more direct tools were needed to respond to begging and rough sleeping where it causes nuisance to others.

International Corruption Unit: Expenditure

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much and what proportion of the budget for the international corruption unit within the National Crime Agency came from (a) Official Development Assistance through the UK Action Against Corruption Programme and (b) other non-aid funding sources in each financial year since 2015-16; and what work was funded by non-aid funding sources.

Chris Philp: ICU has received the following funding from the FCDO’s UK Action against Corruption programme:2015-16 £2.82m2016-17 £3.9m2017-18 £4.36m2018-19 £4.4m2019-20 £4.6m2020-21 £5.65m2021-22 £5.02m2022-23 £5.0m2023-24 £5.5mDue to complexities in deriving the figure the National Crime Agency (NCA) is unable to provide a figure for other non-aid funding sources.Non-aid funding primarily funds operational activity, and due to sensitivities surrounding that activity, the NCA is unable to provide further details.

Burglary

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with police forces on the effectiveness of the commitment that the police attend the scene of every home burglary.

Chris Philp: The Crime Survey for England and Wales data shows a 56% fall in domestic burglaries when comparing the year ending September 2023 with year ending March 2010. This is clearly good news; however, we recognise the impact domestic burglary can have on individuals and communities and we are committed to tackling and preventing this crime.The public rightly expects that the police will visit them when a home burglary has been committed, which is why we welcome the announcement made by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) on 8 June 2023 that all 43 police forces in England and Wales have been implementing this attendance policy since March 2023: https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/police-now-attending-scene-of-every-home-burglary.The police commitment to attend home burglaries is supported by specific College of Policing good practice guidance on conducting residential burglary investigations: https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/residential-burglary.We are continuing to regularly engage with the NPCC and the police on tackling burglary through an array of forums, including the Residential Burglary Taskforce and the National Policing Board, as well as working with police leaders to ensure forces are making their attendance data available to the public.

Fire Prevention: Surrey

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to mitigate potential wildfires in Surrey.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the risk of potential wildfires in Surrey.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on potential insurance claims and damages as a result of wildfires in Surrey.

Chris Philp: The Home Office are the lead Government Department for Wildfire Response and own the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) wildfire risk. Government departments including Home Office, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities and key stakeholders work closely to mitigate the risk of wildfire.The published Wildfire Framework outlines the work being undertaken to improve the UK’s preparedness for wildfires in England. The Home Office maintains regular engagement with National Bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council and England and Wales Wildfire Forum to monitor and review sector led improvements to wildfire response and mitigation.The Home Office have committed to scoping a wildfire strategy and action plan by mid-2024, with support from Defra and its agencies. This commitment is outlined in the third National Adaptation Plan and includes considering prevention, response and recovery actions.In 24/25, the Home Office is funding a new National Resilience Wildfire Advisor who will assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.Surrey County Council has overall responsibility for fire and rescue services in Surrey. The county council will receive an un-ringfenced grant for all of their services including fire, through the Local Government Finance Settlement and they will allocate funding according to their priorities.All Fire and Rescue Authority’s including Surrey, are required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfires) through their Integrated Risk Management Plan. This will include plans to prevent and respond to incidents.Individuals should contact their own insurance providers with regard to any potential claims for damage as a result of wildfire.

Firearms and Knives: Crime

Tahir Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to provide additional funding to help tackle (a) knife and (b) gun crime.

Chris Philp: The Government remains committed to providing the resources needed to tackle violent crime. This includes taking firm action to protect the public by addressing the threat of criminals gaining access to illegal firearms including implementing legislation to prevent legally held firearms getting into the hands of criminals.In 2023/24 we allocated £55m to Violence Reduction Units, £12.9m to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty and £30m to ‘Grip’ hotspot policing patrols to tackle serious violence. Work is ongoing to continue this activity in 2024/25.In the 2024 Spring Budget, the Chancellor committed an additional £75 million over 3-years from 2025 to upscale existing violence reduction units and expand activity across England and Wales, supporting a prevention first approach to serious violence.

Home Office: Pay

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff in his Department have a maximum payscale below £29,000.

Chris Philp: Within the Home Office, as of March 2024, there are 10,819 staff that have a maximum payscale below £29,000.

Fire and Rescue Services: Vehicles

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on the number for fire fighting (a) appliances and (b) vehicles owned by the Fire and Rescue Service over the last five financial years, by each region.

Chris Philp: The latest available data (year ending March 2021) on the number of fire -fighting appliances and vehicles owned by the Fire and Rescue Service is published in FIRE1403, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/634d2ed6e90e0731aa0fcc59/fire-statistics-data-tables-fire1403-201022.xlsx.This provides the number of fire operational appliances (fire-fighting appliances) and non-operational appliances which includes the subcategory of vehicles. The data is provided by year for England, and for each fire and rescue service (FRS), designated as either metropolitan or non-metropolitan. We do not publish the data by region, but the numbers for each FRS can be aggregated to provide required regional level data.The table below provides the number of operational and non-operational appliances in England between the years ending March 2017 and years ending March 2021.Year ending MarchNumber of operational appliancesNumber of non-operational appliancesTotal number of appliances20173,2015,8319,03220183,4455,6099,05420193,3525,7409,09220203,5255,7279,25220213,6085,7299,337

Retail Trade: Crime

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Retail Crime Action Plan.

Chris Philp: In October 2023, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all police forces across England and Wales have committed to prioritise attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel. Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.This builds on the NPCC commitment that police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there are reasonable lines of enquiry, actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender, including shoplifting.Early indications suggest that there has been improved police attendance at the retail crime incidents prioritised. This has been echoed by major retailers.Though this is a welcome step from policing, we know more needs to be done. That’s why, on 10 April, we launched the Government’s plan – "Fighting retail crime: more action" which highlights five areas of work this Government will drive forward to tackle retail crime:Introducing a standalone offence for assaults on retail workers;Additional electronic monitoring for prolific shoplifters;Working with police and businesses to roll out the latest facial recognition to catch these perpetrators;Championing good practice to design out crime; andMaking it easier for retailers to report crime.

International Corruption Unit: Staff

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of permanent staff worked in the National Crime Agency's International Corruption Unit for more than 12 months; and what the staff attrition rate was for the financial year (i) 2019-20 and (ii) 2020-21.

Chris Philp: International Corruption Unit (ICU) data shows that in 2023/24 92% of staff had been in the unit for more than 12 months.The ICU staff annual attrition rate was recorded at 37% in 2019/20 and 9% 2020/21.

UK Border Force: Reasonable Adjustments

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 38 of the Independent review of Border Force by Alexander Downer, published on 20 July 2022, how many and what proportion of officers who are unable to remain in position because their reasonable adjustments can no longer be accommodated (a) have moved to a lower pay scale, (b) have chosen to take part in the Voluntary Exit Scheme, (c) are over the age of 50 and (d) had been placed on reasonable adjustments in the last five years.

Tom Pursglove: Border Force does not hold the information in an easily accessible format, therefore the information requested cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost. However, Border Force can confirm that no officer who was unable to remain at the Heathrow PCP has moved to a lower pay scale.The Home Office prioritises removing or reducing workplace barriers by implementing workplace adjustments, so that impacted employees and those with long-term health conditions have the same opportunities as those without reasonable adjustments.

Youth Mobility Scheme: EU Countries

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2024 to Question 22938 on Youth Mobility Scheme: EU Countries, with which EU member states his Department has discussed a bilateral youth mobility scheme; and when each of those discussions commenced.

Tom Pursglove: Youth Mobility Schemes (YMS) are agreed to following bilateral negotiation over the reciprocal arrangement between the relevant parties. It would therefore be inappropriate to disclose the status of negotiations as they occur, or the parties involved.We remain committed to expanding our YMS offer to more nations, including, but not limited to, those within the EU. Further details of additional YMS agreements will be announced once they are concluded.

Asylum: Children

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any unaccompanied asylum seeking children who arrived in the UK after 7 March 2023 have been informed that their claim will not be processed until Ministerial guidance is provided on the applicability of the provisions of the Illegal Migration Act 2023.

Tom Pursglove: In 2023, we met the Prime Minister's pledge to clear the legacy backlog of asylum cases made before 28 June 2022. The Home Office is now prioritising claims lodged on or after 28 June 2022.These are being considered under provisions in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. It is only right that we consider the oldest claims first.

Asylum: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hotels are in use as temporary accommodation for people seeking asylum in Northern Ireland; and what recent estimate he has made of the number that will be required by the end of 2024.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has been clear that the use of hotels is a temporary and short-term measure to ensure we meet our statutory obligation to accommodate destitute asylum seekers. We have already made significant progress by ending the use of 100 hotels across the UK by 31 March 2024, including 6 in Northern Ireland. A total of 150 hotels will no longer be used for accommodating asylum seekers by the beginning of May, reducing the strain on local communities.Our statutory accommodation needs are kept under continuous review, and we will write to MPs and local authorities as further decisions on hotels are made.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation (including in contingency hotels and other contingency accommodation) is published in table Asy_D11 here: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis. The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of statistics which disaggregates the number of hotels used to house asylum seekers by region.

Asylum: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will have discussions with his Irish counterpart on the number of asylum seekers who arrived in Northern Ireland who have subsequently relocated to the Republic of Ireland in 2022-23.

Tom Pursglove: There is a high level of cooperation on migration and border security between the UK and Irish governments. In particular, the Home Office regularly discuss asylum trends and work to respond to these trends with our counterparts in the Department of Justice. The Home Secretary will hold discussions with his Irish counterpart in due course.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Redundancy

John Healey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister’s defence speech in Warsaw of 23 April 2024, from which (a) Departments, (b) arms length bodies and (c) other organisations the number of civil servants will be reduced to help fund the commitment to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence by 2030.

John Glen: The Prime Minister’s announcement of longer term reductions in Civil Service numbers is a reiteration of the policy announced by the Chancellor in October 2023. The longer term reductions will build on the shorter term headcount cap put in place through to March 2025, and the detail of how individual organisations will be affected by the return to pre-pandemic numbers will form a key part of the next comprehensive spending review.

Local Government: Trade Union Officials

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the news story entitled Cabinet Office Minister writes to councils over spending on Trade Union facility time, published by his Department on 10 April 2024, which local authorities were sent the letter.

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the news story entitled Cabinet Office Minister writes to councils over spending on Trade Union facility time, published by his Department on 10 April 2024, how many hours of civil servants' time were used on the formulation of the (a) research, (b) letter and (c) associated press release.

John Glen: The Cabinet Office wrote to 21 local authorities that, according to their self-reported facility time data, spent over 0.2% of their paybill on facility time. This information is available on gov.uk.The Cabinet Office already publishes the information on facility time spend each year as part of the legislative requirements within the Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017. This means that other than the issuing of the relevant letters, the time taken for which was negligible, there was very little other time spent on this particular exercise.

Veterans: Social Rented Housing

Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Veterans' Strategy Action Plan 2022-24, what steps the Office for Veterans Affairs has taken to improve veterans' access to social housing.

Johnny Mercer: The Veterans Strategy Action Plan sets out over sixty commitments from across government to deliver on the vision and principles of our 2018 Strategy for our veterans, including on housing.The Government is committed to providing high priority access for social housing and temporary accommodation. To improve access to social housing, we changed the law so that veterans with urgent housing needs are always given ‘additional preference’ (high priority) for social housing, and that those who left the forces within the preceding 5 years cannot be disqualified from social housing because of a local connection or residency requirement.We have also published dedicated statutory social housing allocations guidance which sets out how local authorities can support veterans and their families to access social housing.To ensure the sustainable supply of social housing, the £20 million Veteran Capital Housing Fund continues to award grants to fund the refurbishment of existing, affordable and social rental properties, as well as the development and delivery of new build projects.

Office for Veterans' Affairs: Finance and Staff

Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the annual budget for the Office for Veterans Affairs is for the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial year; and how many people work for the Office for Veterans Affairs as of 22 April 2024.

Johnny Mercer: This Government is investing record amounts to support our veterans and their families.The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan totals more than £70 million from across government, with an injection of a further £33 million in the Spring Budget 2023, topped up by a further £10 million in the Chancellor's Autumn statement. As of 22 April 2024, 58 people work in the Office for Veterans’ Affairs.

Department for Transport

Transport: Infrastructure

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the sustainability of transport infrastructure.

Anthony Browne: DfT formed the Infrastructure Decarbonisation Division (IDD) in April 2023 to drive action on the decarbonisation of transport infrastructure. DfT requires all transport infrastructure projects that it funds to produce carbon management plans (CMP) that include a comprehensive whole life carbon assessment, and a plan to reduce carbon across the project lifecycle in line with PAS2080 principles.DfT maintains frequent engagement with its Arm’s Length Bodies to support progress against their own carbon reduction plans.In addition to taking action on transport infrastructure decarbonisation, DfT is also strengthening transport adaptation policy by launching a consultation on the Department’s first transport adaptation strategy on 3 April. The strategy sets a vision for a well-adapted transport network that is flexible, reliable, operates safely and is responsive to a changing climate. This strategy will raise ambition and ensure that adaptation becomes a part of ‘business as usual’, ensuring the transport network is more resilient in the face of climate change.The Environment Act 2021 has introduced new requirements that will support action to improve the sustainability of transport infrastructure. Since 1 November 2023 Ministers have had a legal duty to have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement when making policy.Network Rail and National Highways are progressing work to support nature recovery including through commitments to deliver no net loss in biodiversity across their estates.

Roads: Accidents

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to require drivers to report collisions with cats to the police.

Guy Opperman: Although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, Rule 286 of The Highway Code advises drivers to report any accident involving an animal to the police. If possible, they should make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation. I recognise the very deep upset that losing a beloved pet can cause – but, given challenges around enforcement – there are no current plans to strengthen that requirement.

Roads: Bexley

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of potholes on drivers in Bexley.

Guy Opperman: The Government has recently announced a £8.3 billion funding uplift for roads resurfacing across England between 2023/24 – 2033/34. As part of this it has provided the London Borough of Bexley Council with an additional £275,000 in 2023/24 and will provide a further £275,000 in 2024/25. This money has been provided directly to the respective London Borough rather than via the Mayor of London. At a national level, the Department publishes statistics on gov.uk on the condition and maintenance of the highways in England. Ultimately, however, under the 1980 Highway Act it is the responsibility of the local highway authority, in this case the London Borough of Bexley Council, to maintain and manage the highway network they are responsible for. In London, transport is a devolved matter, and the overall state of London’s roads is a matter for the Mayor.

Department for Transport: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's publication entitled DfT: spending over £500, December 2023, published on 25 April 2024, which Minister used RD Chauffeur Services on 18 December 2023; and what the (a) location and (b) purpose of the visit was.

Anthony Browne: Baroness Vere of Norbiton visited Northern Ireland between 27-29 September 2023 to conduct ministerial visits in relation to aviation and maritime. RD Chauffeur services provided a secure car service for these visits. The invoice was paid on 18 December 2023.The Government Car Service is used wherever possible. On occasion, external companies are used for ministerial visits.

Aviation: South East

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Heathrow Airport, (b) the Civil Aviation Authority and (c) NATS Holdings on the timeline for progressing the Future Airspace Strategy Implementation South changes.

Anthony Browne: The department has in place robust engagement and governance arrangements to effectively monitor the delivery of airspace modernisation by key organisations, such as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and NATS. Heathrow Airport, the CAA and NATS are members of the Aviation Council. Co-chaired at Ministerial level, the council brings together industry and government to support the delivery of key policy ambitions such as airspace modernisation. The Secretary of State for Transport also visited Heathrow Airport and NATS last year. The department also regularly engages with the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG) who are responsible for overseeing the FASI programme which currently includes 20 airports in the UK, including Heathrow Airport

Aviation: Global Positioning System

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent reports that flights to and from the UK may have been affected by alleged Russian jamming of GPS systems.

Anthony Browne: Aviation remains among the safest forms of travel. There are several safety protocols in place to protect aircraft navigation and loss or denial of global positioning should not directly affect the safety of an aircraft. Nonetheless we continue to work with the Civil Aviation Authority and industry to mitigate any risks posed to aviation.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Active Travel: Bedlington

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department still plans to provide funding for (a) walking and (b) cycling routes in Bedlington in the context of the failure to agree a deal to build an electric vehicle gigafactory in Cambois.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of housing (a) need and (b) mix in (i) Cambois, (ii) Sleekburn and (iii) North Blyth since the failure to agree a deal to build an electric vehicle gigafactory in Cambois.

Jacob Young: In January 2023, as part of the second round of the Levelling Up Fund, we announced that £14.7 million was awarded to Northumberland County Council for two new high-quality cycling and pedestrian routes in Hexham and Bedlington.The Government will continue to work with stakeholders across Northumberland to deliver long term support to the area, including working with Northumberland County Council.The National Planning Policy Framework expects strategic policy-making authorities to follow the standard method for assessing local housing need. The standard method does not dictate where homes should go.

Evictions: Lewisham East

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of section 21 evictions in Lewisham East constituency.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on what the average rental costs were for houses in multiple occupation in Lewisham East constituency in the last 12 months.

Jacob Young: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN HL2677 on 6 March 2024 and the answer to Question UIN 22233 on 22 April 2024. We are abolishing Section 21 evictions as part of the Renters (Reform) Bill.No information is held centrally on the average rental costs of houses in multiple occupation in Lewisham East.

Private Rented Housing: Warwick and Leamington

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the average increase in monthly private rent in Warwick and Leamington constituency in the period between 2022 and 2023.

Jacob Young: Rental data at constituency level is not held centrally.

Rented Housing: Standards

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on halving the number of non-decent rented homes by 2030.

Jacob Young: Everyone deserves to live in a safe and decent home. This is why we are introducing a Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector for the first time through the Renters (Reform) Bill.We are also reviewing the Decent Homes Standard, which sets out the minimum requirements for all social housing.Data on housing decency is published regularly via the English Housing Survey at local authority level.

Leasehold: Reform

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he last met the Law Commission to discuss leasehold reform.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many of the recommendations made by the Law Commission in its report on leasehold enfranchisement, entitled Commonhold and the right to manage, published on 21 July 2020, have been incorporated into the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to tackle forfeiture of leasehold properties.

Lee Rowley: The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill delivers the most impactful of the Law Commission’s recommendations on enfranchisement, which will make it cheaper for leaseholders to buy their freehold or extend their lease, and the Right to Manage. This includes increasing the non-residential limit to 50% to give more leaseholders the right to take over management and changing the rules to make each party pay their own process and litigation costs, saving leaseholders many thousands of pounds.The Government has and will continue to set out its position on leasehold reform as part of the continued progress of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

Aerials: Planning Permission

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of planning rules on the installation of (a) telecommunications infrastructure and (b) 5G masts.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of 5G masts on trends in the levels of local house prices.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help increase collaboration between (a) network operators and (b) local communities on planning consultations for proposed 5G masts.

Lee Rowley: Permitted development rights have been developed for telecommunications infrastructure. In 2022 the Government made changes to permitted development rights to enable 5G deployment and help extend mobile coverage, following consultations on both the principle and technical detail of changes.Alongside these changes, the Government published a new Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England. This details considerations that operators should follow when deploying infrastructure, including how infrastructure should be sited. It also covers how they should consult with interested parties throughout the development process, particularly with local residents, and the circumstances where a greater level of community engagement should be considered.

Sleeping Rough

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent estimate he has made of the number of rough sleepers in England.

Felicity Buchan: The annual autumn snapshot statistics remain our official and most robust measure of rough sleeping on a single night given they are independently verified and are published in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The most recent snapshot showed the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2023 is 3,898.The Government also collects monthly management information from local authorities, which is published on a quarterly basis.

Temporary Accommodation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of families living in temporary accommodation.

Felicity Buchan: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 23003 on 30 April 2024.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Charity Commission: Termination of Employment

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff have left the Charity Commission in each year since 2015.

Stuart Andrew: 454 staff members have left the Charity Commission since 2014/2015. The Charity Commission publishes monthly transparency data on its workforce management which includes staffing headcount data. Additionally, yearly data on the Commission’s workforce is available online.

Sports: Women

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 21037 on Football: Disadvantaged, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure the provision of changing facilities for women at sports and recreational grounds.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is committed to delivering top class sports facilities across the country, so that everyone can take part in sport and physical activity. As part of this commitment, DCMS is delivering an historic level of over £400 million in direct investment to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots sport facilities across the UK. This includes the £320 million Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, which includes conditions on funding regarding equal access for women and girls, as well as directly delivering funding for new changing facilities.Government’s investment also includes £25 million for the Lionesses Futures Fund for up to 30 brand new artificial pitches in England in 2024/25, with gold-standard women and girls provision that includes appropriate changing and toilet facilities.The Football Foundation also delivers a specific funding stream for projects seeking to improve changing rooms and pavilions for all players, but especially women and girls. Further details are available on the Football Foundation’s website.

Cultural Heritage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) flags, (b) statues and (c) other national symbols receive specific protections.

Stuart Andrew: Flag-flying in England is subject to standard conditions set by the Government including keeping them in a safe condition and that flags are maintained in a condition that does not impair the overall visual appearance.Statues that qualify as a building and are deemed to be of special architectural or historic interest can be protected by the Secretary of State through designation as a Listed Building.National symbols, such as Royal Names, State Emblems, the Royal Arms and the Government Coat of Arms are already subject to guidelines.

St George's Day

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government made plans for the celebration of St. George's Day in England.

Stuart Andrew: My department promotes the importance of celebrating St George’s Day each year through its flag flying policy for designated days which encourages the flying of the Union Flag on UK Government Buildings.St George’s Day is a designated day. UK Government Buildings, where they have more than one flag pole, are also encouraged to fly the Cross of St George alongside the Union Flag. Individuals, local authorities and other organisations may fly the Cross of St George if they wish.

Gambling: Children and Young People

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to protect (a) children and (b) young people from gambling harm.

Stuart Andrew: His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. It is particularly important to take steps to protect those, particularly young people, who are at risk of experiencing gambling harm.In April 2023 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a White Paper following our review of the Gambling Act 2005. The White Paper outlined a series of measures to tackle practices and products which can drive harm and to ensure that people who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected. These include new, frictionless financial risk checks, a stake limit for online slots games, improvements to customer-led tools, and tougher restrictions on bonuses and direct marketing. These measures will be complemented by strengthened messaging about the risks associated with gambling. The White Paper also contained a commitment to introduce a new statutory levy paid by operators to fund research, prevention, and treatment. In July 2023 the Gambling Commission also published a vulnerability statement, outlining its approach to identifying, supporting, and protecting consumers who are in vulnerable situations.We are working with the Gambling Commission and others to bring the measures from the White Paper into force as quickly as possible, and have already published consultations on a number of important proposals so that we can finalise details ahead of their implementation.

Young People: Public Participation

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure young people continue to have opportunities for democratic participation at the local authority level following the closure of the British Youth Council.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the British Youth Council on youth representation at the local authority level.

Stuart Andrew: I was sorry to learn about the closure of the British Youth Council and want to express gratitude for its work over the years. Whilst the British Youth Council has closed, we will continue to support the UK Youth Parliament as the national programme for democratic participation at the Local Authority Level. In addition, Local Authorities have a Statutory Duty to consult with young people in the planning and delivery of local youth services.

GB News: Political Impartiality

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with Ofcom on (a) the impartiality of and (b) sanctions on GB News.

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Ofcom on impartiality rules in broadcasting.

Julia Lopez: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with Ofcom on a range of issues. Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code sets out rules to ensure that broadcast news is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality. The Government is committed to a free and independent media and does not interfere with Ofcom's regulatory or operational decisions, including how broadcast content is regulated.

British Library: Termination of Employment

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many British Library staff have left that organisation in each year since 2015.

Julia Lopez: DCMS does not hold this information. As this is an operational matter, the Member should contact the British Library directly.

British Film Institute: Termination of Employment

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many British Film Institute staff have left that organisation in each year since 2015.

Julia Lopez: DCMS does not hold this data centrally.

Arts Council England: Termination of Employment

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many Arts Council England staff have left that organisation in each year since 2015.

Julia Lopez: The information is not held centrally.

National Archives: Termination of Employment

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff have left The National Archives in each year since 2015.

Julia Lopez: The National Archives does not hold data on the number of staff who have left the department every year since 2015.

Treasury

Defence: Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister’s defence speech in Warsaw of 23 April 2024, by how much each Department's research and development budget will be reduced to help fund the commitment to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence by 2030.

Laura Trott: We have committed to increase government R&D spending by £2 billion, from £20 billion in 2024-25 to £22 billion in the next Parliament.

Defence: Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister’s defence speech in Warsaw of 23 April 2024, whether the commitment to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence by 2030 has been incorporated into his Department's baseline budgets.

Laura Trott: We have made a commitment to steadily increase defence spending, reaching 2.5% of GDP in 2030. We have also set out how we are fully funding this increase in defence spending. We will set departmental budgets in the normal way at the next spending review.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Repairs and Maintenance

Owen Thompson: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost to the public purse has been of maintenance work on the Estate in each financial year since 2019-20; and whether the Commission has made an estimate of maintenance costs for the next two financial years.

Sir Charles Walker: The costs of maintenance work on the Estate in each financial year since 2019–20, and the estimate of maintenance costs for the next two financial years are as follows: 2019/20 (Actual Cost): £89m2020/21 (Actual Cost): £76.5m2021/22 (Actual Cost): £63.2m2022/23 (Actual Cost): £96m 2023/24 (Forecast Cost): £79.6m2024/25 (Forecast Cost): £78.7m2025/26 (Forecast Cost): £95.1m

House of Commons and House of Lords: Staff

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many people are employed by (a) the House of Commons and (b) any joint body with the House of Lords (i) in total and (ii) in full time equivalent roles.

Sir Charles Walker: The headcount of (a) the House of Commons (i) in total is 3,470 and (ii) in full-time equivalent roles, including PDS, is 3,013.(b) Two bicameral teams sit within the House of Lords Administration. The headcount of the two teams (the Parliamentary Archives and Parliamentary Commercial Directorate) is: (i) 78, and number of full time equivalent roles is: (ii) 76.4. These figures are inclusive of three full-time secondments.

Scotland Office

Cost of Living: Scotland

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on trends in the cost of living in Scotland.

Mr Alister Jack: Supporting households and the most vulnerable by tackling cost of living pressures remains a core priority for this government. That is why the UK Government has introduced a £108 billion package of support over 2022-25, worth an average £3,800 per household, to mitigate against these pressures. We are also making good progress against the Prime Minister’s three economic priorities of halving inflation, getting the economy growing and reducing the national debt. Inflation is now at 3.2 percent - less than half its recent peak, and is expected to fall further to its 2 percent target one year earlier than expected.

Question

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the strength of the Union.

Mr Alister Jack: I discuss the strengths and benefits of the Union with colleagues on a regular basis.This Government is committed to protecting the Union and promoting the strengths that have made it the most successful political and economic union the world has ever seen.

Freedom of Speech: Scotland

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the protection of free speech in Scotland.

Mr Alister Jack: This Government is committed to protecting free speech.It is the responsibility of the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament, working with Police Scotland, to ensure that the hate crime legislation is implemented and enforced in a way that protects freedom of speech and has the confidence of people in Scotland.

Attorney General

Serious Fraud Office: Consultants

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Attorney General, how much the Serious Fraud Office has spent on external consultancies in the last five years.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Attorney General, how much the Crown Prosecution Service has spent on external consultants in the last five years.

Robert Courts: Expenditure on consultancy by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is routinely published in their annual accounts, which are also laid before the House of Commons annually. These can be accessed on the SFO’s website at Annual reports and accounts - Serious Fraud Office (sfo.gov.uk) and the CPS’ website at Annual reports, business plans and strategies | The Crown Prosecution Service (cps.gov.uk).The accounts of the SFO and CPS for 2023/24 are expected to be published in July 2024.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Carbon Emissions

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what purchases her Department made of international carbon credits in the most recent five years for which figures are available; and what the average cost per tonne of CO2 was.

Justin Tomlinson: DESNZ compensates for emissions associated with the flights taken by Ministers and their support staff by purchasing high quality international carbon credits, annually and in arrears. The Department is close to finalising its first purchase of international carbon credits in respect of emissions from the Department’s creation to the end of last year. In 2022, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) purchased 151 carbon credits to compensate for the emissions associated with flights taken in 2021 by BEIS Ministers and their support staff. This was at a cost of £1,394.89, making the cost per tonne £9.24.

Energy Performance Certificates

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to improve EPC rating metrics to more accurately assess low-carbon heating systems.

Amanda Solloway: As highlighted in the Powering up Britain document, the government is currently working on proposals for improving Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) metrics and intends to consult on these in the coming months. The proposals will consider the recommendations from the Independent Review of Net Zero and the 2023 Climate Change Committee report, including that new EPC metrics account for wider benefits from low-carbon heating. The government also has a continuing programme of user research to improve the way in which information is presented on EPCs.

Energy Company Obligation

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had recent discussions with Ofgem on taking steps to ensure that energy companies use reputable contractors to meet their obligations under the ECO4 scheme.

Amanda Solloway: Installations under ECO4 must be carried out by TrustMark registered and Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030 or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified businesses, in accordance with PAS 2035. This ensures work is carried out by an installer who has demonstrated an appropriate level of skill and competence and minimises the risk of unintended consequences. As the only Government endorsed quality scheme, TrustMark registered businesses are thoroughly vetted for technical competence, customer service, and good trading practices. TrustMark registered businesses must also provide an appropriate guarantee and be signed up to a dispute resolution process.

Electricity: Meters

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of homes that have an electricity smart meter.

Amanda Solloway: Quarterly statistics on the rollout of smart meters in Great Britain, covering both gas and electricity smart meters installed, are available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/smart-meters-statistics. This includes information about the number and proportion of electricity smart meters.

Sizewell C Power Station

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the press release dated 15 April 2024 issued by the company Framatome, entitled Framatome has signed contracts worth multi-billion euros for Sizewell C in the UK, what the monetary value is of the contracts referred to; and for what reason the contracts were signed in advance of a final investment decision for the construction of a new nuclear power station at Sizewell.

Andrew Bowie: Agreeing contracts with major suppliers like Framatome means that the Sizewell C project can agree pricing and confirm manufacturing slots within the supply chain. This will help maintain the project’s schedule and manage overall costs, supporting Sizewell C’s value for money.The value of these contracts is commercially sensitive, and the timing of payments under these contracts will be subject to Notices to Proceed that will be issued by Sizewell C Limited.

Energy: Meters

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the number of households that have received compensation for having had a pre-payment meter fitted against their will.

Amanda Solloway: Suppliers have so far carried out 150,000 assessments to make sure those impacted get the compensation they deserve. Of these cases, around 2,500 customers were identified as needing compensation - and around 60% of those have received it, with payments planned for another 1,000 customers. We expect suppliers to work and day and night to issue these remaining payments - there is no excuse for delay. While this is a matter for Ofgem, I have spoken to Ofgem about their responsibilities and the need for suppliers to speed up payments. I will continue to monitor this very closely.

Renewable Energy: Finance

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Appendix 2 of the Contracts for Difference AR6 Allocation Framework 2024, Appendix 2 of the Contracts for Difference AR5 Allocation Framework 2023 and Appendix 2 of the Contracts for Difference AR4 Allocation Framework 2021, what methodology her Department used to calculate the market reference prices for the years 2026-27 to 2030-31; and for what reason it has been set lower than previous Contracts for Difference Allocation Rounds.

Andrew Bowie: As set out in the accompanying note to the Budget Notice[1], the reference prices we use for the CfD budget are an output from the Department’s main power model and are characteristic of decarbonisation pathways that are net-zero consistent. Wholesale electricity prices are driven by many factors including electricity demand profiles, the plants that generate to meet this demand, as well as fuel price assumptions and carbon price assumptions. Changes in reference prices between rounds depend on the assumptions used in power modelling and the delivery years for each allocation round. [1] The accompanying note to the Budget Notice can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contracts-for-difference-cfd-allocation-round-6-statutory-notices

Energy: Debts

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2024 to Question 23316, whether energy charges by suppliers to consumers include debt servicing.

Amanda Solloway: The setting of tariffs is a commercial matter for each energy supplier. However, in setting the level of the Default Tariff Cap Ofgem include an allowance for servicing consumer debt. This allowance is intended to enable suppliers to recover reasonable costs incurred for servicing consumer debt and ensure that suppliers can offer consumers an appropriate level of support in managing their debts, whilst ensuring the retail energy market remains resilient.

Power Failures: Voice over Internet Protocol

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he has taken to help ensure that (a) energy companies and (b) network operators can contact consumers on the Energy Priority Services Register during a power cut once the public switched telephone network switchover is complete.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem rules require all energy suppliers and network operators to provide and maintain a Priority Service Register, which is a free support service available to people in vulnerable situations. Wherever possible, PSR customers should receive advanced notice of scheduled power cuts and given priority support in emergencies, and nominee schemes so that friends and family can be contacted and act on behalf of the householder.